The Post-Birthday World

Customer Reviews

• Great Premise With Unlikable Results  Mar 21, 2007 (81 of 92 found this helpful)

  Being a fan of Lionel Shriver's previous novel, "We Need to Talk About Kevin", I was thrilled to find that she had a new novel out. I was even more intrigued by the novel's beguiling plot: Irina McGovern, a forty-something ex-pat living in London, finds herself at a crossroads, and the novel proceeds in two separate directions. Irina has been in an almost ten year relationship with Lawrence Trainer that has settled into a comfortable if stultifying groove. He's sturdy, reliable, intelligent, and reasonably attractive, but he's also stubborn, judgmental, strict, and their relationship has become exceptionally passionless. He won't even marry Irina because he's against marriage. Enter Ramsey Acton, a beguiling pro Snooker player that is Lawrence's polar opposite: smoldering to Lawrence's blandness, passionate to Lawrence's stoicism, daring where Lawrence is cautious. And here lies the predicament that Irina finds herself in after being left alone with Ramsey for his annual birthday dinner: give in to fiery, passionate temptation ... or remain loyal to the tried-and-true life she has grown accustomed to.
  
  Thus, in storyline 'A' Irina gives in to temptation and leaves Lawrence for Ramsey, while in storyline 'B' she takes smug satisfaction in her own strength of character and loyalty. For a while the back and forth is quite enchanting and clever, and the reader delights in Shriver's carefully concocted parallel structure. But by page 300 those very same parallels that were intriguing and smart become oppressive to the plot and render it hopelessly predictable. If something happens in storyline A you can rely on its counterpoint occuring in B: if Irina has to act as a mediator during a public spat in A, she will be the one causing the scene in B; if she receives a special something in A she will be denied it in B; and so on until the novel's ultimate counterpoint that I cannot reveal here. What was so exciting, at least to me, about the premise of the book was the concept of exploring two different scenarios, and Shriver squanders the opportunity to explore what might have been by slavishly adhering to form -- creating two stories that move in parallel lines instead of diverging ones. Suddenly an otherwise intelligent novel becomes dull and plodding, and the ultimate disappointment is that both A and B's endings are also entirely predictable since both are foreshadowed earlier on. One would have easily been touching and heartfelt if you hadn't been cued to see it coming, and the other might have been shocking if it hadn't been portended earlier on.
  
  Shriver also has a periodic way of getting sidetracked by politics in her novel, which spans roughly fifteen years starting in the 1990s and taking us to the post-9/11 era. They are distracting, and woefully out of place. She takes swipes at Bill Clinton for failing to catch Osama Bin Laden and potshots at Hillary for being ambitious. She decries Britain's National Healthcare system as a hackneyed operation doomed to failure. She even contrives to have all of her characters in Manhattan on the eve of 9/11 for no real reason, since ultimately the atrocity will have very little to do with the plot except to serve Shriver's purpose in analogies for the remainder of the novel -- which is ironic because one character opines that to reduce the scope of that tragedy to such (comparatively) trivial matters is "surely a vain misappropriation of national tragedy". But that didn't stop Shriver from doing it anyway. The aforementioned political asides feel disjointed and don't belong in the plotline, and ultimately neither did 9/11. Had it ultimately had more to do with the plot it would be fine, but it just pops in and then out again as suddenly as it happened. It's a shame that it is becoming commonplace for such a tragic event to be used as a go-to plot device in novels, and while Shriver's depiction of the day is about a million times better -- and mo

• Unique Narrative - And It Works!  Mar 26, 2007 (25 of 26 found this helpful)

  Lionel Shriver's new novel, "The Post-Birthday World" can be compared to the film "Sliding Doors" in that it follows protagonist Irina McGovern down two possible life's paths. Irina is a children's illustrator happily living in London with her long-time partner, Lawrence. On night, after too many drinks and a few tokes, she has an overwhelming urge to kiss an acquaintance, Ramsey, who happens to be a famous snooker player. For the rest of the novel, we are treated to alternate realities; one chapter where she has given in to her desire to kiss Ramsey and the resulting impact on her life and her relationship, and the next chapter where she has resisted temptation and those results on her life.
  
  The alternate realities/story lines are well written, and cunningly related to each other and often over-lapping. Most interesting is the way Shriver builds the character of Lawrence and how differently he is meant to be perceived by the reader in each scenario; the Lawrence that Irina is faithful to is much less likeable that poor cuckolded Lawrence.
  
  I am a huge fan of "We Need to Talk About Kevin" and Shriver's pitch-perfect use of the unreliable narrator. In "The Post-Birthday World" Shriver's prose is a real treat, reminiscent of the days when gifted writers took the time and effort to set a scene and to lay out a plot that gently urged the reader to turn "just one more page".

• A compelling look at unlikeable characters  Mar 19, 2007 (41 of 47 found this helpful)

  An interesting (if not new) premise, easy to read prose, and the author's ability to articulate and individualize to her protaganist a common discussion many women have with themselves (and each other) keep the reader hooked until the last page of The Post Birthday World.
  
  That discussion- whether a calm, stable, yet less than erotically fulfilling relationship is better than a volatile yet sexually fulfilling one is explored here by the author using alternating chapters that show "Irina's" life at particular places-first if she leaves her long-term partner after kissing another man, and then if she remains after deciding not to kiss him.
  
  To the author's credit, she avoids many cliches and stereotypes associated with the "stable but boring" man and the "sexy but unpredictable" man, and avoids moralizing about fidelity. Although we are only privy to Irina's interior thoughts, Shriver does an excellent job of creating fully-fleshed out characters- not only with Irina and her two men- Lawrence and Ramsey, but with some of the more minor characters as well, such as Irina's mother and sister, and Ramsey's ex-wife.
  
  Irina's feelings are depicted realistically. Any woman who has been in love with a man she knew was probably not good for her, but couldn't help herself, and/or complacent and mostly content, if not completely satisfied with another will empathize with Irina's turbulence and soul-searching. Some readers may even find her experience agonizing.
  
  Although I was riveted by this story and couldn't put the book down, I can't say that reading it was very pleasant; in fact I felt a faint hint of indigestion while reading it. I am still trying to sort out if it was because aspects of Irina's experiences hit too close to home at times, or if the strain of mean-spiritness I found to be running through the book really exists there.
  
  Irina presents as a decent, thoughtful, if somewhat insecure woman. Although there were times I wanted to take her and shake her, it was hard to watch all of the emotional punishment and suffering the author heaped upon her. There were emotionally abusive aspects in both of her relationships, and there were points I wished she'd ditch both men and find somebody truly healthy for her. At times I wanted to scream, "There's plenty of fish in the sea Irina- lose these bozos!!"
  
  Then, just as it seemed that in both scenarios, Irina's patience with the particular man was paying off, the author would throw a monkey-wrench into the mix to torture Irina again. Perhaps it would have been more fitting if the heroine had been named "Job."
  
  The ending will sure to keep book discussion boards busy, as it can be interpreted as open-ended. I thought that perhaps at this point the author had tired of toying with Irina and decided to have a go at the reader, instead.
  
  I have a feeling that this is going to be one of those "controversial, love it or hate it" books. I certainly have very mixed feelings about it. It is certain to be provacative and make for some interesting book discussion group get-togethers and water-cooler talk.

• I really wanted to like this book.  Aug 28, 2007 (12 of 12 found this helpful)

  I read so many glowing reviews and the premise is such an intriguing one. Who hasn't pondered where different choices might have taken them? And some parts of it are astonishingly good. My favorite line and I think it's where the character goes home for the holidays: "God, cheerfulness can be a form of assault." That's just one of many bull's eye moments. The author has very sharp insight into the intricacies of human emotion, maybe too much at times. A top editor could have really worked this one out. I'm really losing faith in editors and book reviewers these days. She stretches the conceit as far as it can go, breaking a lot of "writer" rules as she goes along - feels more rebellious than sloppy - and it works often enough to prove those rules to be needlessly limiting. There are spots of pure writer's gold every few pages. So much of Irina's inner dialogue is dark and witty, laugh out loud stuff that rings true.
  
  The down side is that the really good parts cast the rest of it in shadow. I'm not one who has to fall in love and totally relate to the main character, but I found Irina to be stupid and unlikable. The men are bland stock characters. Ramsey's dialogue makes it sound like she's romancing Hagrid. He is an unsophisticated emotional imbecile, who YES we get it, is good in the sack. The characterization of Lawrence is no better. He is either dull but trustworthy and true or he is dull and hiding something. I'm curious why anyone would fashion such a trio of losers. But the main character is so awful as to be puzzling. Was it the author's intention to write about a stupid and shallow woman who will invariably shoot herself in the foot no matter what she does? Would she like to know the character she created? I wouldn't. It's odd to think of a woman in her early 40s behaving this way. Did she spend her 20s in a nunnery? I haven't quite finished, so maybe she did.
  
  The dialogue can be cringeworthy and indulgent. For one, everyone speaks in long emotion-heavy paragraphs that serve to move the plot along. The real and imagined scenarios are grossly daydreamy and maudlin. In fact at times, it reads like a bad daydream by a romance reader who finds Lifetyme TV absorbing. The author also wants to weigh in on the 90s and those parts are clunky and intrusive. She also suffers from the laughable (usually) male writer affliction of the perfect woman - beautiful without any makeup, thin without any effort. She even loses weight when she does nothing but eat out and booze it up with Ramsey! Wow, what an accomplishment. She should be so proud. Yet her only insight into her sister's marriage is to wonder whether her husband loves her because she went (this is so misogynistic) from "bird to cow."
  
  I also never want to read another word about snooker ever again. I'm going to try one more of this author's books and/or maybe her next one. But if there is even a hint of snooker in either of them, it's going back.

• Insightful, Literate, Creative View of Intimate Relationships  Apr 9, 2007 (18 of 20 found this helpful)

  It's difficult to believe that some of the other reviewers read the same book! You will like this novel if:
  
  You like a story told in non-linear fashion. The story follows a parallel structure (in alternating chapters), depending on whether Irina chooses one evening to become involved with virile Ramsey or remain faithful to bookish Lawrence. The parallel structure works beautifully: the similarities and differences between the two different versions are essential to the plot (to show the consequences of Irina's choice), and they are not overstated or too obvious.
  
  You want to read a novel by an author who understands human relationships. This insightful tale of intimate relationships shows why they all too often fail: it's very difficult, if not impossible, to get everything you need from one person. Something is always missing. And after appreciating what you do get, it's all too easy to shift your focus to what you're missing and let your regrets sour a good relationship. On the other hand, it can also be all too easy to stubbornly stay with a fairly good relationship rather than risk taking the plunge into something new that might be much better. The parallel stories carefully examine each alternative.
  
  You enjoy reading about characters who are complicated and multifaceted. The author avoids the trap of making one man outstanding and the other a cad. Ramsey and Lawrence (and Irina) are not unlikable! They are flawed, or in other words human, and therefore appealing. Sure, Ramsey and Lawrence act like clods at times, but so do we all. Both men also show unusual kindness and consideration at times; neither is any more selfish than most of us. Sure, Irina puts up with their negatives. Most of us would do the same, partly because each man has important positives and partly because THERE ISN'T LIKELY TO BE ANYONE BETTER OUT THERE--the perfect partner occurs only in childish fiction, and this is mature fiction. If you've ever been involved in a lengthy intimate relationship, your heart will go out to these characters--to Irina for having to make a difficult choice and live with the consequences, to Ramsey and Lawrence for struggling to deal with their weaknesses (often unsuccessfully, as also happens to all of us) yet still showing desirable qualities as well.
  
  You like a story where the author leaves you with something to think about at the end. It isn't clear which one of Irina's choices the author recommends (although I do have my own guess) because life choices are often unclear, or what psychologists call multiple approach-avoidance conflicts: struggling to weigh the positives and negatives that each choice offers because none of them is clearly outstanding.
  
  You like taking your time perusing well-written prose so you can enjoy perceptive analogies, metaphors, similies, and events that make you chuckle or even laugh out loud.
  
  In sum: Clearly, this novel is not for all tastes. Hopefully, the above review will help you decide if you'll like it as much as I did.