A Palm Beach Wife by Susannah Marren, © 2019, St Martin’s Griffin, ISBN 9781250-198402, 304 pages, $17.99.
SAN DIEGO – This is a tale of a society where people are judged by the labels they wear, the cars they drive, the clubs they belong to, and where they are seated at charity events.
It’s an interesting commentary, made more interesting by the fact that the author’s name itself is a new label for Susan Shapiro Barash, who writes non-fiction books about gender issues. She uses the pseudonym Susannah Marren for her fictional works like this one on the suggestion of her publisher, who didn’t want the two genres confused, and because she always liked the name Susannah, while Marren is the name of her grandmother.
In this novel, Faith and Edward appear to be near the top of Palm Beach society; he’s an investor; she is the owner of a fashionable consignment shop where designer label bags and clutches sell for prices in the tens of thousands of dollars.
But as the story begins, everything is about to fall apart. Edward has made some very bad investments, and Faith is soon to be confronted by her hidden past.
It soon becomes apparent that Edward’s financial mistakes cannot be papered over; everyone, but everyone, will know of his indebtedness. It’s a foregone conclusion that Faith will be removed as the solo chair of a major charity ball; with Edward unable to meet his obligations, she no longer has sufficient status.
The novel deals with the process by which Faith and Edward and their daughter Katherine attempt to recover from this self-made disaster. It probes such issues as what in life, such as family, is real, and what is illusory.
Readers will end up admiring Faith’s grit, determination, and grace as everything seems to be falling down around her.
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Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com