Two Recommendations For The Price Of One.

There have been many artistic endeavors that sseek to explain, belittle, skewer and examine life in the suburbs. Recently, I've found two of the best-the tv show Weeds and a novel, The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrota. I had wanted to check out Weeds for awhile and finally watched Season One on DVD before we had our cable hooked up. It's a funny character study starring one of my long-time favorites, Mary Louise Parker. The writing is sharp, the plots are convoluted (Not Nip/Tuck convoluted, but convoluted nonetheless.) and the ensemble cast is strong. The writers even manage to make Kevin Nealon funny, something that has until now been an iffy proposition. Favorite line so far, through Season One and part of Season Two:"When does CPR become necrophilia?"

As for Tom Perrotta, I have found a new author to read. The Abstinence Teacher takes on religion, abstinence programs (duh), youth sports and the difficult task of raising kids. While another of my favorite authors, Chuck Pahlniuk, writes with fervor and zooms right past any shred of plausibility, Perrotta takes the opposite approach. He has a keen eye for the details and subtlety of life and relays all the complexities with a smooth, patient writing style. Can't wait to read his other work.