Piece of Work is Laura Zigman's fourth novel after a four year absence (which, reading this book and between the lines, I'm going to assume might be something to do with her having a baby...)
It's the story of Julia Einstein (no relation!), who gave up a stressful but stimulating job in PR to have and raise her baby boy Leo. But now Leo is three and about to start pre-school, and Julia's husband Peter has been "downsized" from his job and seems in no hurry to get back to work.
So Julia reluctantly dips her toe back into the world of work...
Laura Zigman is an intelligent writer whose characters are empathetic and relate-able. I suspect many women will understand and relate to Julia's difficulty in leaving her son after three years of being his primary carer- not to mention her jealousy at the good times Leo and Peter seem to have without her. But even women who haven't been in that situation will still feel empathy for Julia as her feelings are so well conveyed.
Peter takes to house husbandry like a duck to water and has soon streamlined the family's routine and is cooking delicious nutritious meals every day and making friends with all the mothers at school. Meanwhile, Julia is struggling with a self-sabotaging boss and a badly behaved old film star client, who she has to travel the country with. She thinks maybe returning to work wasn't such a good idea, but Peter's in no hurry to return... so they're a bit stuck.
I really enjoyed this book, finding the episodes with Julia's client especially entertaining- the woman is awful, and yet somehow very real and not a caricature. Knowing that Zigman used to work in publicity made that aspect of the book all the more juicy! It's well written, snappily-paced and moving. My only slight criticism is that the assumption that one day Peter will return to work (for the sake of his self-esteem? Do men 'have' to work full time?) is never questioned- it's always just an implicit assumption. I would have liked to have seen that turned on its head a little more. But I love the way the author portrayed a man competent at looking after the house and his son (there are too many useless men in fiction!) and the struggles the couple went through seemed realistic. There was also an added sadness in a back story about Julia's childhood, which added a little more depth to the novel but never became depressing.
Her characters and subject matter are maturing, but Laura Zigman can still be relied upon to write great stories- however long we have to wait!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Like this? Try Dating Big Bird by Laura Zigman; The Guy Not Taken by Jennifer Weiner.
AND! Look out for an exclusive Trashionista interview with the author coming soon!
