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Walking with Elephants by Karen S. Bell Literary Road Press
book review by Carolyn Davis
"For I have come to understand that the big questions such as, 'What is my purpose in life?' and 'Why am I here?' converge with the little questions like, 'Where is my other shoe?' and 'When will pot roast go on sale?'"
The first paragraph sets the mood for this book about people dealing with current domestic and professional issues. Its overall tone is relatively light-hearted and humorous, much in the style of Jean Kerr, Dave Barry, and the "darker" side of Erma Bombeck. The central character is Suze Hall, who is entering middle age and the workforce. She berates herself humorously for her frustrations with both. The main people in Suze's life are her husband Bob, who is leaving home for an academic sabbatical, her son, the people at Marcus & Stern, the publishing house where Suze works, who are depicted as dolphins and sharks, respectively. Adding zest to Hall's situations are her workplace friend Elliott, her mother, and Suze's best friend, Marcia, whose current lover entices Suze to complicate her life further.
The strength of the story is its character development. The adventures of Suze Hall, although not entirely unpredictable, come at a pace that neither overwhelms nor bores the reader. The characters themselves are realistic: most people know a Wanda, a Bob, an Elliott, a David, even a medium named Eleanor, and have had a need for the types of alliances and stimulation that Suze develops and indulges in. The protagonist is entirely believable as a middle-class American woman, and the ending employs a convention that is seen with increasing frequency in American fiction, but is no less enjoyable for that. Suze Hall speaks for many Americans.