The War Between the Tates

'THE WAR BETWEEN THE TATES gently dissects the marriage between Brian Tate, a 46-year-old professor of political science, and his wife Erica. The Tates appear to have every advanatage- a stable, loving relationship, two attractive children, good friends, enough money. Then Brian begins an ill-advised affair with a female student, and the seams in the marriage come alarmingly apart. Lurie miraculously seems to understand men as well as she understands women; she has an astonishing rapport with the fragmented world of the teenager; she constructs her American academic backdrops with the craftsmanlike skill; she evinces rare wisdom, wit, and compassion; and she writes like an angel' Sunday Times