Lying Low - (William Abrahams Book) by Diane Johnson (Paperback)

About the Book

A National Book Award finalist, this novel relates the events of four critical days in the lives of four people sharing a rambling Victorian house, "lying low", and harboring secrets not meant to be shared.

Book Synopsis

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST

"A nearly flawless performance--a beautifully constructed, elegantly written book, delicate in its perceptions, powerful in its impact."--New York Times

The riveting story of four crucial days in the lives of four people sharing a rambling Victorian house, "lying low" and harboring secrets not meant to be shared

Theo Wait, a middle-aged former ballet dancer, and her brother, Anton, have taken in two boarders: beautiful Lynn, who never receives mail or visitors; and energetic and effusive Ouida, a Brazilian student and illegal alien who won't let complicated bureaucratic wrangles and constant fear of deportation taint her vision of America as the land of opportunity.

A faked identity, a search for one of the FBI's most wanted escaped prison convicts, and a Brazilian feast that spins out of control kick the plot into high gear. While each of these characters has been plagued by a sense of impending disaster, the terrible thing they've all been fearing comes from an entirely unexpected direction, shattering all of their lives.

Review Quotes

"A nearly flawless performance--a beautifully constructed, elegantly written book, delicate in its perceptions, powerful in its impact."--Robert Towers, New York Times

"Clever and deftly observant."--Newsweek

"In the California college town of Orris stands a rooming house owned by ballet teacher Theodora Wait, 60, and her brother Anton, a famous nature photographer. In summer residence are only two boarders, Ouida, a sweet-natured Brazilian member of the 'World Messianity' movement, and a quiet, private girl known to the others solely as 'Lynn.' Actually her name is Marybeth Howe, and she's an FBI fugitive, having killed a scientist in a laboratory bombing six years before. Orris is a perfect refuge; Johnson's eye for mendicant/hip/political manifestations makes this a piece of fine California reportage... A chamber novel, basically a quartet for four intelligences... the satisfactions--for the head especially--are substantial."--Kirkus Reviews

About the Author

Diane Johnson is the author of the bestselling novel Le Divorce, a National Book Award finalist, as well as many other novels, including Persian Nights, Health and Happiness, Lying Low, The Shadow Knows, and Burning. She was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize for Persian Nights, and she co-authored the screenplay to The Shining with Stanley Kubrick. She divides her time between San Francisco and Paris.