The Invaders (2015) by Karolina Waclawiak

1001 Novels: A Library of America

The Invaders (2015)

by Karolina Waclawiak

Little Neck Cove, Connecticut

Connecticut: 6/9

     Another entrant into the "suburbia and its discontents" file of the 1001 Novels: A Library of America.  Author Karolina Waclawiak is best know as a journalist- she was the editor in chief who turned out the lights when Buzzfeed News shut down.  She's written two books- this one and How to Get Into the Twin Palms.    The Invaders is set in the exclusive suburb of Little Neck Cove- populated by a mixture of rich white people who are either 1) rich old white guys 2) the first wives of those men  3) the second of third wives of those men and 4) their children.

   The main characters are Cheryl, an aging trophy wife and Teddy, her college age step son recently returned after being expelled from college.  Husband Jeffrey is mostly absent- like many of the men in this category of books, his career is opaque- he's in sales, or something.  As the reader expects in a work of literary fiction set in the American suburbs ALL IS NOT WELL.  Cheryl and Teddy are BOTH SEIZED BY BOUTS OF ENNUI.   Characters TAKE DRUGS and HAVE SEX- well not so much sex, this is Connecticut after all.

   Whenever I read a book from this shelf I find myself urging the sad suburban characters to get active mentally and physically- go for a run! Join a gym! Read a book! Volunteer at a homeless shelter!  I'm a firm believer that 99% of contemporary maladies are caused by either a lack of mental or physical exercise and/or a lack of purpose.  Neither Teddy nor Cheryl do anything like that beyond taking long walks in the woods (Cheryl).  The lack of purpose is particularly glaring in almost every book about suburban discontent including this one.  Unless the character is a child under the driving age, there really is no excuse for the lives of these sad suburbanites.  Get out of your house, go do something- anything!  Just stop moping around!