World, March 16, 2010 (Pal Telegraph,AP)- "The Heights" (Dutton, 295 pages, $25.95) by Peter Hedges: Tim and Kate Welch seem perfect for each other, with a relationship that other couples envy. Kate is a stay-at-home mother, caring for their two young boys. Tim teaches history at an academy near the family's cramped apartment in New York's affluent neighborhood of Brooklyn Heights.
Residents are intrigued when the alluring Anna Brody and her mega-rich husband move into the area's grandest home. At first, Kate is enamored with the beautiful high society mother, but when she enters the work force, it's Tim, now at home with the kids, who becomes attracted to Anna.
Peter Hedges, author of "What's Eating Gilbert Grape," tells the story of "The Heights" from the perspective of Kate, Tim and Bea Myerly, one of Tim's former students. Bea is obsessed with Tim. She baby-sits Anna's 3-year-old daughter, Sophie, and is an occasional go-between for Anna and Tim.
Other colorful characters include Claudia Valentine, a tell-it-like-it-is mother of two with a colorful - and often offensive - vocabulary, and Frida Fabritz, a conniving realtor.
A few antiquated references stand out in what is meant to be a contemporary novel. (Hedges wrote the book as a tragedy in 1998, but shelved it after the Sept. 11 attacks, eventually revising it with a lighter theme.) For example, Tim and Kate are threatened with termination of their phone service unless the bill is paid in person, something that's no longer required because payments can be made electronically.
Hedges delivers an insightful portrayal of parenthood and the strains and temptations of marriage, even in a seemingly perfect relationship.
He also makes some wonderful observations about family life. After a day caring for rambunctious children, Tim and Kate check in on their dozing cherubs and remark, "Children fall asleep so you can love them again."
