–Ot nominanta na Bukerovskuyu premiyu. –Literaturnyy eksperiment na styke hudozhestvennoy biografii i psihologicheskogo romana. –Otkrovennaya istoriya odnoy zhenschiny, ne zhelayuschey miritsya s rolyu, kotoruyu ey otvelo obschestvo. –Vozmozhnost pogruzitsya v povsednevnuyu zhizn amerikanskoy intelligentsii serediny XX veka. Itaka, shtat Nyu-York, seredina 1950‑h. Eleyn stoit u pochtovogo yaschika pered domom, dumaet o svoih syne i muzhe, prepodavatele v prestizhnom universitete, i dumaet s toskoy: "Neuzheli eto vsyo?" Popytavshis razdvinut zhestkie ramki, ogranichivayuschie ee suschestvovanie, ona puskaetsya v gibelnuyu dlya sebya lyubovnuyu istoriyu, kotoraya polozhit konets ee braku i razrushit ee zhizn. Roman Uilla Selfa osnovan na dnevnikah ego materi, kotorye ona vela sorok s lishnim let. Pisatel pristalno izuchaet vnutrenniy mir Eleyn, napryagaet voobrazhenie, chtoby vossozdat kartinu ee zhizni.