From Publishers Weekly Out of a quiet story about ordinary people， Cohen (Don't Mention the Moon， Domestic Tranquility) has created a haunting and beautifully written novel. Brendan Beame is an illustrator and househusband. He cares for Jeff， a charming two-year-old， while his wife Lila pursues her successful career as an oil industry executive. Theirs is a happy existence until Brendan becomes involved with the mother of another child encountered in their Brooklyn playground. The destruction of Brendan's family life and the events that follow are perhaps predictable， but that makes them no less gripping. Cohen sidesteps sentimentality in discussing a devoted father's intricate relationship with his young son， and there is a rare clarity and energy to his prose. His ear for dialogue is superb， especially when it comes to Jeff， and the fights between Brendan and Lila are precisely the sort of destructive verbal dueling between two articulate people who love one another that can lead to regrettable divorce. Comparisons to Kramer vs. Kramer will undoubtedly be made， but unlike Corman's deserted husband and father， Brendan both invites disaster and does less whining about it. This novel has more in common with The Good Mother: it's about responsible people who， despite bad judgments， think and read and care about their children. The story is powerful and sad， the writing exhilarating. Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information， Inc. From Library Journal Nice young couple Lila and Brendan Beame are bold enough to live a lifestyle of role reversal: she is the primary breadwinner while he， a struggling free-lance artist， minds child and home in Brooklyn's Park Slope. They are not， however， courageous enough to handle it. Though Lila is a successful businesswoman and Brendan a superb father (there are some wonderful scenes of both joyous and frustrating parenting)， both feel guilt and jealousy about what they are missing. Their casual conversations lead to argument， competition， and inevitably to Brendan's affair with another "mother" who watches her child in the park. The characters in this touching， contemporary novel are sympathetic and utterly believable. Marion Hanscom， SUNY at Binghamton Lib.Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information， Inc.