Normal People Don’t Live Like This
Normal People Don’t Live Like This by Dylan Landis, published by Persea on September 22, 2009, is a collection of short stories that explores the complexities of adolescence and familial relationships. The narrative centers on Leah Levinson, a teenager navigating the challenges of her middle-class upbringing on the Upper West Side during the 1970s. Through ten distinct installments, the book presents Leah’s interactions with her peers and her fraught relationship with her mother, Helen, revealing the emotional intricacies that define their lives.
Readers will find a nuanced portrayal of Leah and Helen as they confront their estrangement while grappling with their identities. The stories delve into themes of connection and isolation, highlighting the characters’ struggles and impulsive decisions that lead them toward self-discovery. This edition, consisting of 181 pages, invites readers to witness the transformative moments that shape Leah and Helen’s paths, ultimately suggesting the potential for change and hope in their lives.
Official synopsis Publisher
“Wonderful! Leah and Helen are authentic, vulnerable characters, whose intimate truths are exposed at perfect, unexpected moments.”―Elizabeth Strout At the center of this startling fiction debut is Leah Levinson, a teen at sea in the anonymous ordeals of a middle-class upbringing on the Upper West Side in the 1970s. In ten installments, written from varying perspectives, we witness her uneasy relationships with faster, looser peers―girls she is drawn to but also alienated by.
No one, though, alienates Leah more than her mother, Helen. Estranged yet intertwined, they struggle within the confines of their personalities, unaware of how similar their paths are. Just when they seem at a lonely impasse, each makes an impulsive change―Leah taking a risky trip abroad, Helen renting a secret room in a welfare hotel. Jolted from their old patterns, the two of them independently glimpse the possibility of a more hopeful life.
Dylan Landis is a gifted portraitist of unforgettable female characters. Normal People Don’t Live Like This is a striking debut.
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