barbara fister reviewed Prom Mom by Laura Lippman
Review of 'Prom Mom' on 'LibraryThing'
What an interesting story - a noir tale but with a contemporary suburban setting. An unpopular high school girl becomes notorious when she falls ill at the prom and goes back to her hotel room where she gives birth alone after her date goes out partying. The baby didn't survive, and after a spate of headlines the two teens go on with their lives. Years later, their paths intersect again, with complicated consequences. returnreturnWhile none of the characters is terribly likeable, they are weirdly compelling even as the ... prom dad? ... in middle age digs himself deeper and deeper into a hole, yet remains certain everything will turn out fine because he's the kind of privileged male who never has to pay for any of his mistakes. In a sense, that's the main driver of the tension in the book. How far can he go out on a limb …
What an interesting story - a noir tale but with a contemporary suburban setting. An unpopular high school girl becomes notorious when she falls ill at the prom and goes back to her hotel room where she gives birth alone after her date goes out partying. The baby didn't survive, and after a spate of headlines the two teens go on with their lives. Years later, their paths intersect again, with complicated consequences. returnreturnWhile none of the characters is terribly likeable, they are weirdly compelling even as the ... prom dad? ... in middle age digs himself deeper and deeper into a hole, yet remains certain everything will turn out fine because he's the kind of privileged male who never has to pay for any of his mistakes. In a sense, that's the main driver of the tension in the book. How far can he go out on a limb before it comes crashing down? returnreturnWhile it has the logic of noir, it's very much a novel of the present moment, pandemic and all.