What lies behind the perfect facade
Liza Klaussman's first novel, Tigers in Red Weather, is getting the reception most authors dream of: strong reviews and word of mouth. Set in post-second world war America, the story marries a moreish plot of love, death and social rivalry on Martha's Vineyard with a subtle exploration of the national psyche.
Tigers in Red Weather
by Liza Klaussman
(read by Katherine Kellgren)
MacMillan Digital Audio
(audiobook)
Liza Klaussman's first novel, Tigers in Red Weather, is getting the reception most authors dream of: strong reviews and word of mouth. Set in post-second world war America, the story marries a moreish plot of love, death and social rivalry on Martha's Vineyard with a subtle exploration of the national psyche. The Derringer family seems to be living the American dream. Nick is glamorous wife to wealthy, gorgeous Hughes. They have a clever and apparently happy daughter, Daisy. As the names hint, The Great Gatsby is a touchstone - as is Hemingway's punchy prose: "He really is too beautiful," Nick sighs about her husband. "And a Buick and fine record needles. What more could a girl ask for?" The answer: a lot. After Hughes returns from the war hiding his pain under stoicism, Nick flits from affair to affair like a desperate housewife from Peyton Place. Meanwhile, her fragile cousin Helena is struggling with an unfaithful husband and a peeping tom son. And someone is murdering women. Katherine Kellgren reads with relish, evoking Klaussman's five characters with vibrancy. If she sacrifices some nuance along the way, then it only enhances the fun.