The Admissions

Satire, by its definition, always contains a ring of truth. In The Admissions, however, the line between humor and truth is so blurred that I had difficulty finding the difference. It is to the writer\’s credit that I attribute (SAT word) my visceral (SAT word extraordinaire) disgust at today\’s culture that creates a family like the Hawthornes. On the surface, the Hawthorne family is living the American dream in vaunted Marin County, CA. Gabe, a high-powered consultant who weathered the dot.com storm; Nora, the realtor, who sells multimillion dollar homes to other dot.com survivors; and three near-perfect daughters appear to have all that life has to offer. Much of the story is centered around Angela, the eldest child in whose head it has been pounded since Gabe presented her with a Harvard sweatshirt at age two that she be accepted on early admission to The Only Institution of Higher Learning Worth Attending. Do not waste your time even considering losers like Princeton, Yale, Amherst or the Seven Sisters, stress Mom and Dad. After all, Angela, look no further than the success the Harvard diploma bestowed on your father and by extension, your family. To that end, Angela strives to become the Jill of all trades and the master of none. Like a whirling dervish (as proudly described by her mother), she takes only AP classes that will impress the Harvard Admissions Committee, runs cross country despite her preference for swimming, performs a tad of mandatory community service despite deriving gratification from helping others and is president of her senior class (and zinged by the local Harvard interviewer for eschewing Student Body President.) This child cannot win, no matter how hard she tries, but worst of all, she does nothing for sheer enjoyment. When asked by the Harvard interviewer to name the last book she read for pleasure, Angela draws a blank. As a consummate reader, who, believe it or not, was accepted by all Ivies and Sisters to which I applied, despite having a well rounded life (I even went on dates and – horrors – mindless shopping expeditions with my friends, things foreign to young Angela), I was particularly appalled. Her next younger sister is immersed in Irish step dancing. What began as fun slowly becomes an obsession. After all, there is no place for failure in the Hawthorne home. But even a custom made $2300 costume (for a seventh grader, mind you) cannot prevent a misstep at a major competition. Angela\’s youngest sister Maya cannot read, despite being in fourth grade. What to do, what to do, wails Nora. My older daughters read \”chapter books\” when still in diapers, and this is REALLY embarrassing, she bemoans. We must buy the best tutor, not for Maya\’s sake, but for our reputation. Maybe Harvard will discover this flaw and hold it against Angela. I, the reader, always wondered if Maya won the battle of wits with her mother. Can you tell that The Admissions hit one of my hot buttons? When did it become the norm to live vicariously through one\’s children? When did it become accepted practice for parents to correct their mistakes by trying to mold a perfect child? Most egregious of all (I am filled with SAT words…or something), when did it become unforgivable to make a mistake? Make no mistake, though. Having lived in the Bay Area, I got many laughs as I read this book. The dreaded home inspection and the fear of finding an obscure endangered species when we decided (as Nora aptly put it) to go back home were among vignettes that had me giggling! But, I applaud Meg Mitchell Moore for exposing a well kept secret. For the sake of their children, I hope that mothers like Nora, who is not a bad person – misguided at worst – let their kids be kids.

SPOILERS…. I really wanted to like this book. I couldn’t wait to read it. For some reason I just couldn’t get into it. I kept waiting for something MAJOR to happen. Something life changing – an affair, charges for the medication theft, more than just being fired for the withholding of info on the house sale and lying on the resume, repercussions for plagerism….something!! The worst thing that happens is she doesn’t get into Harvard. That’s it. Meanwhile the whole fam is doing things they shouldn’t and no one gets in trouble. I just didn’t like it.

Meg Mitchell Moore has written a warm, funny, sad and big-hearted book with multi-faceted characters, who have realistic flaws and the best of intentions. The Hawthornes are an upwardly-mobile California family, careening toward disaster, intent on maintaining their slice of the American Dream at whatever cost. Gabe and Nora are both driven and successful. This same drive is evident in their highly-accomplished, oldest daughter, Angela, whose entire life path had been geared toward a coveted Harvard acceptance. Angela is academically and extracurricularly overextended. Her impossible schedule and relentless pursuit of perfection continue to push her forward, but with diminishing results. Additionally, the middle daughter, Cecily, is vigorously immersed in intense Irish dance classes, and the youngest daughter, Maya, wrestles with a reading difficulty. As each member of the Hawthorne family begins to falter under pressure, we see the secrets that they keep and the lengths they may go, to protect all that they have worked for. This is indeed a cautionary tale about the lure and power of success, how we define it, and what we will risk to get it. Moore\’s book shows us that the pace of American life has become so frenetic and results-oriented that we are losing sight of what truly matters. Success is chased with an almost religious zeal, and children are being encouraged to excel at ever-younger ages. Perhaps the message is that life is meant to be enjoyed more and managed less. Moore has crafted a thoroughly enjoyable read about the complexities of family life in an increasingly complicated and demanding world.

The Hawthornes look like the perfect family. They have smart and talented daughters: Angela, 17; Cecily, 10; and Maya, 7. Their eldest daughter is on track for early admission to Harvard. Cecily excels at dance, but Maya struggles in reading. Nora, the mother, grew up in Rhode Island, and sometimes longs for home, but the life she and Nate have built in Marin County is filled with the wonderful things she always dreamed of. However, her life is hectic, and all their lives seem totally focused on getting Angela into Harvard. Nora excels at selling high end properties, but an oversight could bring her whole career down. Additionally, Nora is holding tight to a secret that could undermine everything. Gabe is a partner in a consulting firm, but when a new intern is brought on, a secret he has kept for years threatens to come out. Narrated by multiple characters, The Admissions: A Novel held my interest from the very beginning. I loved the setting…who doesn’t love Marin County? I could relate to some of what the characters were experiencing, except for the kinds of secrets that were churning away at their insides and threatening their existence. I enjoyed the e-mail messages Nora wrote to her sister Marianne, as we catch a glimpse of how she thinks and feels in these exchanges. The pace kept me reading and turning pages, wondering how it would all come apart, as it was obvious that the “perfect” lives were destined to unravel. A book I recommend for those who enjoy family stories. 4.5 stars.

A novel about contemporary family life in the US, the issues triggered by the daughter\’s effort in her high school graduating year to get accepted to an ivy league university. Well-written with nice word play, and keeps one\’s attention.

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