The Stuff That Never Happened

Dawson's nicely written if erratically paced debut interweaves two story lines—in 2005, there's Annabelle McKay's midlife crisis as her empty-nest marriage to historian Grant falls into the doldrums, and in the 1970s, there's the beginning of their relationship and the affair that nearly drove them apart. In the present, Annabelle's middle-aged ennui and floundering marriage spin out slowly until her pregnant daughter Sophie's health crisis takes Annabelle to Manhattan to care for her. In the past, Dawson trawls through Annabelle and Grant's young, troubled marriage during his first job at Columbia University, when they live with his mentor, Jeremiah. The first third of the book is so mired in backstory that even Dawson's enjoyable prose and keen characterization can't save the monotony. The novel finally picks up steam when past and present collide, underlining the themes of marriage and self, but the ending feels rushed and pat. For fans of upmarket hen lit, it's worth a look, but Dawson doesn't deliver enough consistent tension to make the work pop. (Aug.)