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Title: Compelling Dysfunction
Review: Yes, there were flaws in the book, like who smokes in California restaurants anymore? But I thought Dubus had such a gift for portraying flawed personalities. For example, it was interesting to watch Kathy get bounced around by life. Dubus did a good job of showing how she constantly let herself be propelled by external forces (went with Nick to RR meetings against her will; let the county take her house; didn't ask about Lester's being married but let him start dictating her life just as Nick had; watched as Lester set their disaster in motion without protesting, etc.) When she thinks Lester is leaving her she nearly kills herself, vaguely understanding that she can survive only as a parasite. Even at the end of the book, in jail, she only starts to come back to life again as she attaches herself to the powerful Jolene. To watch such a loser in action, how she made her decisions, was fascinating, and I thought Dubus did a good job with it.
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