Domestic Violets: A Novel
&#8220;Norman controls his complicated story and handles its chaos and plot twists with a steady, funny hand.... this is a thoroughly entertaining, light but thoughtful read.&#8221; (Publishers Weekly)&#8220;Domestic Violets is a fast, fun, hilarious read.&#8221; (Jessica Anya Blau, critically-acclaimed author ofThe Summer of Naked Swim PartiesandDrinking Closer to Home)&#8220;Domestic Violets is a wonderfully readable, riotous story... told with humor and surprising intimacy. &#8221; (Susan Richards Shreve, author ofA Student of Living Things)&#8220;Reminiscent of Richard Russo&#8217;s earlier work, Norman&#8217;s refreshingly witty style is perfectly suited to articulating the trials of a middle-aged cynic. Wonderfully fast-paced, hilariously genuine, difficult to put down,Domestic Violetsis an ideal first novel.&#8221; (Booklist)&#8220;Matthew Norman has written a dastardly fun satire of contemporary domestic life [with} surprising twists on all the old conventions and a fresh perspective on a literary foundation that hearkens back to Philip Roth, John Updike and John Cheever. An astoundingly good read!&#8221; (Joshua Gaylord, author ofHummingbirds)&#8220;Norman&#8217;s debut novel is funny and incisive, and hard on sacred cows.&#8221; (Shelf Awareness)&#8220;so real, so funny&#8221; (Susan K. Perry, Ph.D. at Psychology Today)&#8220;Timing, so important in comedy, is also exacting in Mr. Norman&#8217;s expert hands...Domestic Violetsleaves the reader satisfied by the intriguing plot written in a comic spirit; it also endears the author and hero to the reader for maximum poignancy.&#8221; (New York Journal of Books)&#8220;All this misery makes for good comedy &#8230; charmingly drawn &#8230;&#8221; (Washington Post on DOMESTIC VIOLETS)&#8220;Norman&#8217;s hilarious debut novel is a tale of a man&#8217;s middle-age quest to differentiate himself from his father and decide what&#8217;s worth changing and what&#8217;s worth keeping in his life.&#8221; (Washington Independent Review of Books on DOMESTIC VIOLETS)