Book Review: "The Adults" by Alison Espach

Title: The Adults

Author: Alison Espach

Publisher: Scribner

ISBN, PUB Date: 978-1-4391-9185-9, February 1, 2011

Reviewed by: Jennifer Shaw for Author Exposure

Emily Vidal, a teenager growing up in an affluent suburban neighborhood of Connecticut, is surrounded by adults who fall somewhat short of being just that – “The Adults”. Emily shares her experiences with life as she knows it, including matters of the heart, questions about sexuality, and the tragic truths surrounding a suicide in her neighborhood. Over the course of this novel, the reader witnesses Emily grow into a young woman.

Emily is an interesting character who pulls you into her insane world. Her experiences can be viewed as normal by some and completely off the wall by others. She has a way of dropping an unusual line out of thin air that will either make you laugh out loud or shout “Oh my goodness”. For example, at her father's fiftieth birthday party, she said, "As a child, I thought my breasts were tumors” (4). Later, Emily has a conversation with her friend Mark about the word 'herniated'.

"Can you imagine what it'd be like if people used the word 'herniated' instead of 'beautiful'?" I asked.

"The herniated princess," Mark said.

"Hello, this is my herniated wife."

"You're so herniated” (17).

There are a number of these insanely weird lines throughout the novel, which, in my opinion, have varying levels of humor.

I thought the pacing of the story was a little on the slow side. At times I found myself losing interest in reading this book and days would pass before I picked it up again. There just wasn't a moment in the novel that grabbed me and made me want to read it. It's easy to see that Emily is, in fact, aging as the story progresses, but I didn't really notice her maturing.

However, despite the slow pace and hit-or-miss humor, many of the situations Espach imagined in this book were realistic and fitting to the storyline. The Adults reveals the hardships teenagers endure, growing up in a society where many parents often remain children, even as they have children of their own.

Readers who enjoy coming-of-age stories will enjoy reading about Emily and the obstacles she faces in her life as well as her romantic choices. I think The Adults would be a great discussable book selection for any book club. Emily definitely lives an interesting life even though some of her decisions are questionable.