I’ve been banging on about Rebecca Miller for days now, ever since I started reading her new novel, which is coming out in August, for work. The Private Lives of Pippa Lee tells the story of a woman, the protagonist of the book’s title, who marries a much older man, Herb, and starts a new life with him. Of all of my favourite things about this novel (and that list is endless), the fact that the narrative is so utterly surprising and goes in places you absolutely would not suspect endlessly impressed me as I read.
Here are 2 things that happened to me on my journey with Pippa Lee: I read in the elevator. Yes, I realize it’s silly as I’m only on the 20th floor, but that’s at least 2-3 minutes, which can be pages. I not only missed my floor but didn’t notice the elevator was heading down instead of up before I realized I forgot to get off. “Oh well,” I thought, and kept on reading. The VERY SAME day, I almost missed my subway stop and barely made it out of the doors before they crushed me in an iron grip, brushed myself off, and continued to read as I walked up the stairs and out on to Lansdowne. The book is that engrossing and entertaining.
It’s just my kind of novel: swift, smart, acerbic, completely unpredictable and kind of kooky. I love Pippa. She’s adventurous and damaged, a mythical combination, and I didn’t want it to end.
Here’s an interview with the author, Rebecca Miller. She rocks. She’s talking about the filmed adaptation of the book coming out in 2009 starring Robin Wright Penn:
Very interesting. He work sounds very funny. Is she Arthur Miller’s daughter?
Yes, Arthur Miller’s daughter.