Staff Picks Blog

Set in the midwest, mostly in a university town (author Lorrie Moore teaches at the University of Wiscosin) A Gate at the Stairs is a coming of age novel.  Tassie Kelgin is a university student trying to make ends meet and seeking companionship since her roommate has a new boyfriend.  She is hired as a nanny by a strange (as in, not midwestern) sophisticated older couple who are trying to adopt a child.  At the same time she begins a relationship with a “Brazilian” boy.  Set shortly after 9/11 this novel explores issues of racism, family, and love.  Although there is a building sense of impending doom,  I was unprepared for the tragedy when it came.  Still, there is a great deal of humor as Tassie describes her reactions to what is going on around her, and the writing draws you in to a compelling story.