Olsson's novel follows its protagonists, plus a few dozen secondary characters, as they plan, contemplate, protest, ignore and/or mourn the razing of two neglected buildings: a music club beloved by aging hipsters and the former blacks-only library. It's not easy to fill a medium-sized novel with so many characters, so diverse yet convincing. One of the first we meet, Nick Lasseter, is an "underperforming" reporter for the local alternative weekly. We're with him when he decides to drink too many beers at a party celebrating his ex-girlfriend's wedding; though it's not a wise choice, we can sympathize when he announces, in reference to her new fiance, "I'm not getting in a Saab with that guy." It's a testament to Olsson's skill that we feel the very same sympathy for Beverly Flintic, a first-term assemblywoman having an affair with a Republican candidate for governor, who, whenever he gives a campaign speech, silently recites, "One potato, two potato" between each sentence. She hasn't read the bill that she's sponsoring for him, and while that is a much graver offense than making an ass of oneself at a party, somehow we're ready to forgive her, too.

Then there is Andrea Carter, the daughter of a civil rights activist, who still does not understand what made her steal a pair of expensive leather pants from the closet of her father's girlfriend. And Will Sabert, the last old-school liberal of the Texas congressional delegation. He once fell in love with a bookish lady named Eleanor Hix, who rebuffed him with a charming and concise, "Oh, garbage."

The big article that Nick is supposed to write about Rep. Sabert never gets written, in part because it's not easy to sum up in one newspaper article a career's worth of unpleasant political compromises and incremental legislative adjustments. A novel is better suited to the job, one like this, where the company of fully imagined people takes the place of easy resolutions.

Early on, Nick is depressed by a politician's sincerity: "At one time he'd seen all this sort of political talk as a façade and imagined himself capable of puncturing it, of writing about what really went on, behind all the posturing. But gradually he'd concluded that the people doing the posturing believed in their own postures. There was no simple underlying truth behind or beyond." If Nick were a better reporter, he could get some use out of that insight. Olsson seems to have taken it to heart, though, and she has written a funny, intelligent novel about people who are at odds and at home with each other, just like in a real town.

Reviewed by James Whorton Jr.
Copyright 2005, The Washington Post. All Rights Reserved.

"[An] intricate, ambitious debut novel...With clean, brisk prose, Olsson brings a specific, authentic sense of character, time and place to this story of Texas politicians and muckrakers."

"A funny, intelligent novel about people who are at odds and at home with each other, just like in a real town."

"Anna Fields gives another in a string of fine performances...Fields reads with a keen sense of character and a superb sense of timing. She is also adept at making each character seem charming, funny, or serious, as needed, without losing focus on the novel's plot, thus making this Texas story a pleasant diversion that will surely appeal to most listeners."

"Olsson's dry irony, nuanced observations and enjoyably moody atmosphere build into a sophisticated portrait of her hometown...A debut to be enjoyed by idealists everywhere, and one bound to get Austin locals gossiping."

"This wry love letter to Austin (formerly Waterloo), Texas, is steeped in nostalgia for the halcyon years of the late 1970s, when the music was fine, the beer was free, and the city seemed awash in addled good humor...Olsson displays an enviably light touch and a deep affection for her hometown."

Karen Olsson is a writer at large for Texas Monthly and a former editor of the Texas Observer. Her award-winning writing has appeared in the Washington Post, Baffler, The Nation, and other publications. She lives in Austin.

Anna Fields(1965-2006), winner of more than a dozen Earphones Awards and the prestigious Audie Award in 2004, was one of the most respected narrators in the industry. Trained at the Actors Theatre of Louisville, she was also a director, producer, and technician at her own studio, Cedar House Audio.