In late summer I started to hear a lot about Liza Klaussman – and not just that she was Herman Melville’s great-great-granddaughter (that may not be the right number of greats, but who’s counting, really?). Tigers in Red Weather is her first novel, though she has worked as a journalist for some time.
Reports surrounding the novel put it somewhere between a good beach read, a murder mystery and the next great American novel. And though there is not much resembling Melville, comparisons to F. Scott Fitzgerald would not be unwarranted.
It is set primarily at a summer house in Martha’s Vineyard, though there are brief forays to other American locales. Tennis, parties, and cocktails abound. And although Tigers makes a great summer read, I would wager that it is more than just a beach read. The story of family dysfunction is told in five parts and five different points of view. Klaussmann juggles the interweaving family relationships beautifully. A key theme is the lengths people will go to to protect the ones they love, especially when a dead body is involved.
Who would like this book? This book would be a great choice for a book club – lots to discuss. I also think it would appeal to anyone looking for a good literary page turner. It does focus largely on the thirty year friendship of two women, so it may have less appeal to men.
52 books or bust 