Word: ethane
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...Ethan Mordden...
...Ethan Herschel Cohen...
...house leaving her wedding rings in the soapdish, Macon's first instinct is to return to the childhood nest, the domestic asylum where his three sisters, all doomed for spinsterhood, still live. The tragedy which initiates their estrangement--the freak murder of the Leary's twelve year-old son, Ethan, that occurs while he is away at camp--lays bare the stasis their marriage has reached. When Sarah openly seeks comfort in her grief, Macon's only solace is the reminder that he, with his usual caution, had opposed the camping adventure in the first place. "The trouble with...
...mother is present in the home, there remains a suggestion of irresponsibility. Muriel, the dogtrainer, is sensitive to Macon's disapproving observation that she is bringing up Alexander, her illegitimate son, on a diet of television and Oodles of Noodles. Similarly, Macon silently reproaches his wife for having allowed Ethan to attend camp, despite his objections. The suggestion of her maternal irresponsibility echoes again later in her rejection of Macon's conciliatory proposal to have another baby to make up for their loss...
...Accidental Tourist brings Tyler up to date: girl leaves boy, boy keeps house. Macon Leary's unassertiveness is in timely contrast to Sarah's decisiveness and Muriel's zeal. Ethan's violent death is right off the 6 o'clock news. Even Macon finally proves conspicuously contemporary by taking charge of his life. The move seems a bit too abrupt for a character whose susceptibility to drift has been so carefully established. But this is a minor disappointment in a novel animated by witty invention and lively personalities, including Edward the feisty corgi, whose bite is just...