Oddly, The Lay of the Land often feels like it was written by someone other than Richard Ford.
This novel finds our hero Frank Bascombe in life’s late stages, with little going on except for the 2000 election, a health problem, a mildly interesting Real Estate business, and the usual domestic drama. Ford’s language is perfect, as always, but the novel’s shining moments are rare compared to past efforts.
Where Ford balanced Bascombe’s pain with insight in Independence Day (a sum benefit to readers), he mostly inflicts pain in The Lay of the Land. Every task is a chore, and Frank silently dislikes almost everyone he encounters. After a while, the whole effort starts to feel more like a terribly serious and epic episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm, instead of a highly-anticipated literary work. It’s tough enough to sit through an entire episode of Larry David’s life.
Even from the beginning, The Lay of the Land feels long and forced, and the exhilarating moments are overshadowed by Ford’s heavy-handedness (if you get to the end, you’ll see). Bascombe the character is another serious problem. He doesn’t seem like himself, and in this installment, he’s not so much conflicted as inconsistent. Perhaps Ford had a point to prove by giving the liberal Bascombe a Chevy Suburban and an occasional mild racism, but it’s not evident, and it certainly doesn’t help his like-ability as a protagonist.
The Lay of the Land won’t damage Ford’s reputation as an asset to American literature, but this inconsistent and exhausting novel is no step forward; for the final installment of a long and interesting trilogy, it also has little in the way of constructive closure for Bascombe, which is a major disappointment.
C
you just didn’t take enough time with the book. slow down and enjoy its poetry. it’s a wonderful novel and you’re probably looking for something that isn’t there, because of expectations. you should be looking at what is there, not hoping to read a book that has already been written. if you want to read the sportswriter or independence day again, well, they’ve already been published. just go to your bookshelf and read them again. the lay of the land is a new book and a great one for anyone with the patience to read a book on its own terms.