Metropause [Paperback]

Mark Evan (Author), Frank Lulias (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 23, 2009

Thirty-six year-old Edison Archer, a San Franciscan, is in Seattle tending to his parents' house in the wake of their mysterious passing. He feels very much alone, even when in the company of old friends, Linda and Brett Gale, who he learns are facing their own problems. Linda, once part of the hip San Francisco arts scene, is now a ballooning housewife with a stalled career and a newfound passion for Bundt cakes. Brett is frustrated that his formerly vivacious and frisky wife appears permanently frigid to his advances. Enter Cherie Cahill, a pill-popping and churchgoing realtor who aggressively pressures Edison to sell his house and even more aggressively pursues Brett. In San Francisco, Adam Sirna, an executive assistant, is desperately hoping to find a way out of his rut of office servitude. Always aware of the gay math, where thirty is the new fifty, he is fearful that life is passing him by. Up the hill from Adam, Val Panos, after a streak of bad career moves in the tech sector, is nearly penniless and reduced to squatting at her successful friends' posh condo while they are out of town. Equal parts mystery and wit, Metropause is a fast-paced comedy about people navigating the murky waters of denial, and the unexpected consequences when reality intrudes.

Product Details

• Paperback: 412 pages
• Publisher: Bubble Press (January 23, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0982107803
• ISBN-13: 978-0982107805
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.4 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,999,946 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Smart, hilarious and good in bed., April 9, 2009

By 

Charis (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Metropause (Paperback)

My delight with this book came as a total surprise - I read it on a whim, and must recommend.
My expression while reading Metropause alternated between wry amusement to delighted surprise.
The book is smart, sexy, and riotously funny.

Evan and Lulias write with an easy, wry wit and their characters are engaging amidst their mania.
Emotion is built up at what seem to be the most unlikely moments, creating an enjoyable balance between intrigue/conflict and that sweet fulfillment that comes when bad things happen to bad people.

At moments the comic interaction between characters is so perfectly timed and visual that I felt I was reading a play. I laughed and I cried - but my real applause is how Metropause had me on my toes throughout... I am always a fan of this position.

The character of Cherie has already become a bit of an archetype in my mind. An archetype of what, you may ask? Nay, I will not tell you - read it, and find out for yourself ya lazy bastard.

The official website for Metropause has a little blurb about the Bundt cake issue - here's my two cents:

Linda's split-level Bundt cake, I believe, was indeed two levels. While some may call this blasphemy, I call it daring innovation and necessary sexual compensation. Strange things happen when a woman's sexual energy is funneled into her cooking - trust me, I know.

5.0 out of 5 stars Witty, engaging frolic of a book!, January 1, 2010

By 

Bob Lind "camelwest" (Phoenix, AZ United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Metropause (Paperback)

Edison Archer is a 36 year old gay man from San Francisco, who finds himself in Seattle after his parents were found dead in their home there, cause of death not apparent, but believed by locals to be the latest victims of the "Reaping Widow" legend that had claimed previous inhabitants of the house. He reconnects with close friends (and also former San Francisco residents), Linda and Brett Gale, who live just down the block and are helping Edison through the ordeal of packing up his parents' possessions and deciding when/if to sell the house. Edison remembers Linda and Brett as the perfect yuppie couple, but, although Brett seems to the thriving professionally in his new job there, Linda - who ran a trendy art gallery before the move - has become a bored housewife, clearly straining their relationship as well as resulting in Linda gaining some weight. Along comes Cherie Cahill, an aggressive realtor who pops pills constantly, sleeps around yet considers herself a devout Christian, who decides to push Edison into letting her sell the house, and eyes the sexually-frustrated Brett as another short-term goal to conquer. Also a bit frustrated is Edison, whose attempt at an online hookup there results in a waste of time meeting an egotistical slut who misrepresented himself in his profile, and having to deal with a well-intentioned but pushy neighbor, the inscrutable Mrs. Lily Ling, who uses the key his parents had given her to barge in on Edison whenever she felt like it, offering advice that is more of an edict.

This well-written, character-driven book also involves several other male and female, straight and gay/lesbian individuals - all friends or co-workers of the core characters now in Seattle - who alternate episodic passages which eventually come together into one cohesive storyline, perhaps possible, though a bit farfetched and absolutely way over-the-top. However, it is an engaging, witty read, part romantic comedy, part mystery, and a delayed coming-of-age, which I give a full five stars out of five.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant! Laugh-Out-Loud Good!, March 9, 2009

By 

OzzyBoo (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Metropause (Paperback)

Metropause is a rarity in today's world of contemporary fiction - a funny and fast read yet chocked with fascinating, rich characters and a complex and griping storyline. Evans and Lulias, who I believe compare favorably as an updated Armistead Maupin, have done a brilliant job crafting a novel that is as poignant as it is pee-in-your-pants funny and I find myself quoting many of their smart and sassy lines in my day-to-day conversations. The story is intensely woven in such a deep, interesting fashion that it immediately creates a page turner combining mystery and intrigue with a quick, sharp humor that is ever au courant. As one of the other reviewers so brilliantly notes, what makes Metropause work so well is that the main characters in the book are all people whom you want in your "Contacts List" today (except perhaps for the psycho Cherie - and heck, we probably all already have folks like that in there to begin with!). On a side note, I thoroughly enjoy the terrific gay-positive message in the novel. It is wonderful to see gays portrayed outside of the all too familiar stereotypes in many modern day novels. The worst part of the book was finishing it - and now having to wait for the (hopefully soon?!?) sequel. While this may be the first novel from Evans and Lulias, with any luck, it will not be their last!