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The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford
The Lay of the Land is Richard Ford's third book (after The Sportswriter and Independence Day) centered around his character Frank Bascombe. It's the year 2000 and the presidential election results are in chaos with the Florida recount. He's now 55 years old and has now entered what he calls "permanent time." He's been diagnosed with a tumor on his prostate gland. His second wife has run off with her first husband (who was thought to be dead), and his first wife wants to see him again. He's looking forward to spending Thanksgiving with his son, a rebellious young man now gone mainstream, and his daughter, whom he thought was a lesbian, but now appears to be bisexual. First he needs to return to where he used to live to attend a funeral, close a real estate deal with his business partner, and meet his first wife who has some sort of announcement. Frank's thoughts and emotions about politics, business, and family swirl around him as the holiday approaches. The Lay of the Land has received mostly positive reviews with The Independent saying, "The Lay of the Land is a superb achievement. Reading it, I felt the best sort of professional envy. It's that damn good."
