Helpful Score: 5
As Stephen King's wife, Tabitha King is most likely used to living in the shadows. However, she is an able author in her own right. The Book of Reuben takes place in Maine, and follows the life of an ordinary guy from a small town who tries to do his best to build a good life for himself and later for his family. He has some disastrous love affairs with women whose own problems cause disasters for both him and themselves. It is a coming of age book with a male main character, but the book really focuses on how American culture of the 60's was sometimes destructive for both men and women. It has some graphic sex and violence, but it isn't gratuitous, it just sets a mood. My only problem with the book was the ending...it goes out on a hopeful note, but it seems a bit tacked on. A dark but fascinating read.
