In Alison Pace's charming second novel PUG HILL, Metropolitan Museum of Art conservationist Hope McNeill is an endearingly neurotic basket case. She has a squash-playing boyfriend who she's not happy with, a coworker she's in (unrequited) love with, and a fear of public speaking, which suddenly becomes an issue when her parents call and ask her to give a speech for their 40th anniversary.
Hope is like no other character in women's fiction. She loves the Zoloft commercial on TV and find comfort in its animated bouncing egg. Her narration is a constant stream of dead-on observations about dating and human nature that will make every reader smile broadly and nod in agreement at least once every few pages. And her main source of solace in Manhattan is Pug Hill, a grassy hill on Central Park's east side around 74th Street, where pugs from all over the city convene. No, Hope doesn't have a pug herself, but she finds peace, happiness and relaxation in watching the pugs romp and spin around without a care in the world.
"For Holly Golightly, there was always Tiffany's," Hope says in the book's opening paragraph. "No matter what was going wrong in her life, she always had Tiffany's. For me, there's always Pug Hill."
But even Pug Hill can't provide the solace Hope craves when she breaks up with the squash-playing Evan and decides to finally face her fear of public speaking by signing up for a course called Overcoming Presentation Anxiety, which meets on Thursday nights for the next six weeks. Her classmates are wacky (and one is even a cute guy!), and with the help of frequent visits to Pug Hill and a few embarrassments in class, Hope begins to discover a faith in herself that she never knew she had. Admirably, Pace doesn't make the class a cure-all, and Hope is still mired in many of her old insecurities, but watching her grow is refreshing. Readers will find themselves cheering Hope on as she attempts to work through her doubts and fears.
Pace, the author of IF ANDY WARHOL HAD A GIRLFRIEND (one of my favorite books!), has written an incredibly insightful book that is more about self-confidence, family struggles, dating and the issues that confront us all than it is about Hope herself or the specific obstacles she has to face. She has a uniquely singular writing style, and the inner voice that she gives Hope will resonate with anyone who has ever dealt with any sort of insecurity.
"I'd like to think that the book has something to say about facing your fears, learning to believe in yourself, and not giving up even when you'd like to," Pace says. "I do think many of us have fears that get in the way of our development. And Hope, for as closed off as she can be, really does go after facing her fears."
The ending, too, is perfectly written, surprising and satisfying.
This book is a must-read. Holly Golightly may have had Tiffany's, and Hope McNeill may have had her place in Central Park where the pugs roam. But for me, when I need to feel a little comforted, I'll always have Alison Pace's PUG HILL.
Also recommended: If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend (Alison Pace), Milkrun (Sarah Mlynowski), Killer Summer (Lynda Curnyn), The Breakup Club (Melissa Senate) and How to Sleep With a Movie Star (by me . . . Kristin Harmel)
