PARENTS BEHAVING BADLY

Patrick Lawlor’s sardonic tone adds an entertaining dose of edginess to this delightful satire about the perils of parenting and youth sports. With writing that doesn’t flinch when talking about condoms, weed, and various forms of infidelity, his enthusiastic reading jumps into the fray without calling attention to his skills or performance. The novel, a fast-moving collection of wickedly funny vignettes, is oddly relaxing. Gummer understands parenting and the conflicts parents face as they simultaneously try to love their children, maintain the illusion of being world-class parents, and curb the irrepressible child within themselves who is never far from the surface. For anyone with children, it’s a hilarious, uplifting reminder that we are never more human than when we are parents. T.W. © AudioFile 2011, Portland, Maine [Published: AUGUST 2011]