Lay of the Land

Richard Ford

Literary fiction

Description

Frank Bascombe, now a real estate agent and owner of RealtyWise, is preparing for Thanksgiving in Sea-Clift, New Jersey, during the unsettled fall of 2000. He has arranged an organic holiday meal for his son, daughter, and his son’s girlfriend, attempting to impose domestic order on a family scattered by resentment and absence. His second wife is abroad with her former husband; his first wife has returned to New Jersey; and Frank is confronting prostate cancer. Across three days, clients, relatives, former partners, and chance acquaintances force him into painful exchanges about property, marriage, illness, and responsibility. Wry and expansive, the novel uses Frank’s restless observations to examine middle age and the unstable meanings of home.

Reading profile

About this profile

Collected’s assessment, not reader ratings. Complexity runs from 1 (least demanding) to 5 (most demanding).

Writing: How much attention the sentences and language require.
Ideas: How much interpretation or abstract reasoning the book asks of you.
Structure: How much you need to keep track of speakers, timelines and connections.
Background knowledge: Prior knowledge needed to follow the book, beyond what it explains.
Emotional intensity: Emotional pressure, from gentle (1) to intense (5). Separate from difficulty.

Writing style

Dense · Descriptive · Essayistic · Witty

Pace

Measured

Tone

Humorous · Intimate · Melancholic · Reflective

Structure

Linear

Focus

Character · Relationships · Voice

Emotional intensity

4 / 5

Reading complexity

1–5 · higher means more demanding

Writing: 4 / 5
Ideas: 4 / 5
Structure: 3 / 5
Background knowledge: 1 / 5

Themes

AgingBelongingFamilyMarriageMortalityWork

Book details

Publisher: Penguin Random House
Language: English
ISBN: 9780099481423

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