Domestic Violets: A Novel

By Matthew Norman

“Reminiscent of Richard Russo’s earlier work. . . . Wonderfully fast-paced, hilariously genuine, difficult to put down . . . an ideal first novel.” —Booklist

Tom Violet always thought that by the time he turned thirty-five, he’d have everything going for him. Fame. Fortune. A beautiful wife. A satisfying career as a successful novelist. A happy dog to greet him at the end of the day.

The reality, though, is far different. He’s got a wife, but their problems are bigger than he can even imagine. And he’s written a novel, but the manuscript he’s slaved over for years is currently hidden in his desk drawer while his father, an actual famous writer, just won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. His career, such that it is, involves mind-numbing corporate buzzwords, his pretentious arch-nemesis Gregory, and a hopeless, completely inappropriate crush on his favorite coworker. Oh . . . and his dog, according to the vet, is suffering from acute anxiety.

Tom’s life is crushing his soul, but he’s decided to do something about it. (Really.) Domestic Violets is the brilliant and beguiling story of a man finally taking control of his own happiness— even if it means making a complete idiot of himself along the way.

“Thoroughly entertaining.” —Publishers Weekly

“A fast, fun, hilarious read.” —Jessica Anya Blau, author of The Summer of Naked Swim Parties and Drinking Closer to Home

“Domestic Violets leaves the reader satisfied by the intriguing plot written in a comic spirit; it also endears the author and hero to the reader for maximum poignancy.” —New York Journal of Books

“All this misery makes for good comedy . . . charmingly drawn.” —Washington Post

• Language: English
• Publisher: Open Road Integrated Media
• Release date: Aug 9, 2011
• ISBN: 9780062065124

Matthew Norman

Matthew Norman is an advertising copywriter. He lives with his wife and daughter in Baltimore. Domestic Violets is his first novel.

Book preview

Part I

Chapter 1

I splash cold water on my face.

This is what men in movies do when they’re about to fly off the handle, when shit is getting out of control. I do this sometimes. I react to things based on what characters in movies would do. That’s kind of ironic, considering I’ve always thought of myself as a book person.

At least I think that’s ironic. That word gets misused a lot.

The water isn’t refreshing like it’s supposed to be. It’s ice-cold and I gasp. As it swirls into a little cyclone on its way down the drain, I look in the mirror, ashamed and angry at myself.

There’s something wrong. With my penis.

It’s been an unpredictable thing for a while now, my shlong, all flighty and unreliable like some stoner uncle who shows up hammered at Thanksgiving and forgets your name.

The guy I see in the mirror, Tom Violet, the same lanky, moody bastard I’ve been looking at for almost thirty-six years now, looks . . . old. The fact that I’m naked certainly isn’t helping. Like most men who are not Brad Pitt, I could do without the sight of my own nudity. Back in the day I was a long-distance runner, all streamlined and put together. Now I’m flabby-thin, the way a fat guy might look after a year in an internment camp. Worse, the hair on my chest is overgrown and dark against my pale skin and I wonder if I should be one of those guys who shaves his chest. Maybe that would help.

Of course it wouldn’t help. That’s not the problem. The problem, still, is my broken wang.

I look at it in the mirror, really look at it, and it, too, appears ashamed. It’s shriveled up into itself, like an infant’s thingy. I close my eyes and touch it, and then I squeeze it, just to try to get something going. I think of my wife. She’s lying in bed, not twenty feet away, in a red thing from Victoria’s Secret—just a fun little thing she picked up. I actually think that’s the problem. Lingerie screams of effort. It screams of forced intimacy and the fact that we both know she’s probably ovulating. We did the math this week. What I need to do is to sneak up on sex. For some strange reason, thinking about getting an erection makes it fucking impossible to get an erection. I tried to explain this to Anna a few weeks ago, but she didn’t get it. I don’t blame her. It’s a very abstract concept.

Maybe it’s the economy. Personal and global financial ruin could cause boner problems, right?

Sadly, no. This all started happening before the world ended. I’ll have to come up with another excuse.

And so I stroke on, like a fool, like a caged monkey masturbating in front of a horrified troop of Cub Scouts at the zoo. There’s a sensation, like a phantom tingling somewhere in my stomach, but then there’s nothing again, and I begin to think about the cruelties of aging. In my carefree youth, sitting in Catholic school, I couldn’t go more than twenty minutes without popping a painful, trouser-lifting boner. Now, with the prospect of actual sex in the other room, I’ve got nothing. Zilch.

How many perfectly good hard-ons have I wasted in my short, stupid life? Hundreds? Probably thousands if you count college. It’s just not fair.

Finally, I turn off the faucet and give up. In the silent bathroom, I give my lifeless manhood one last pleading look and then open the door.

Anna is still in her Victoria’s Secret thing, but she’s de-sexed it a little by putting on her reading glasses. She’s stretched out on our bed reading a New Yorker by the light of one of the candles she’s set up. I’ve been trying to jerk myself back to life. She’s been reading Talk of the Town.

The stereo is still on, too. It’s playing some CD of classical music fused with nature sounds. It’s supposed to be relaxing or soothing or God knows what. But, of course, it’s just more effort, more unnatural things added to what’s supposed to be the most natural thing in the world.

Our dog, Hank, is skilled at sensing anxiety in a room. He’s sitting on the floor on one of his dog mats. He’s one of those dogs that always seems to be bracing himself for the worst.

Anna smiles and sits up. Hi, she says. Her legs on our powder blue sheets are long and toned and treadmill-ready. She’s beautiful, my wife, I recognize this, but my body is somehow rejecting this fact along with all of its sexual implications. If the nineteen-year-old version of Tom Violet were here in this room, he’d slap the thirty-five-year-old version of Tom Violet across the face in utter disgust.

Three nights ago, after our last failed attempt at this, I woke up in the middle of the night to Anna moaning quietly next to me. At first I didn’t know what was going on, and then I realized that she was having a sex dream. In eight years of sleeping beside her nightly, I’d never heard anything like that. As I listened to her whisper her way toward a soft, muted little orgasm, I realized that we had a real problem.

I put on a pair of boxers and slide into bed next to her. She rolls over onto her side and looks at me. Her small breasts are vivid against all that silk or satin or whatever those things from Victoria’s Secret are made out of. You OK? she asks. Her voice has taken on this funerallike tone, which feels absurd and completely accurate.

I sigh and listen to the music and the sound of some whale or dolphin in the ocean. No, I say. I’m obviously not.

It’s not a big deal, you know. It . . . happens.

This is what women say in these scenes to the men they love. Her eyes and her face are sweet and concerned for me, but there’s enough tension in her voice to know that she’s just reading from the script. It might not have been a big deal the first time, or even the sixth time, but it’s a big deal now, and I wonder what the man in her head looked like who inspired those little noises the other night. Like me with a shaved chest, perhaps—or, at the very least, like me with a fully functioning penis?

I don’t know what’s the matter with me.

She takes off her glasses and sets them on the nightstand. Over the sheets, she rubs my knee, and then she inches a little closer. Maybe you’re just— but she leaves this hanging. Like me, she doesn’t seem to know exactly what it is that I am. I look down at her feet, and her toenails are painted red. This is something new for her. Her feet are typically very functional things, but lately they’re lotioned and cared for. This simple act of pure femininity would probably be enough to turn the nineteen-year-old version of Tom Violet into a sex-crazed idiot. But here I am, dejected and lustless.

I don’t want to talk about my penis, but I don’t want to blow out the candles and roll over, either. I’m vulnerable, yet simultaneously guarded. I want Anna to hold me and tell me that she loves me, but I also want to sleep in the guest room. I’m like a six-foot-tall version of my own flaccid dick, wanting yet pulling away from my only real ally in the world.

Anna’s an optimist, though, to the bitter end, and so she forges on. Like her ancestors, great, blond Swedes from Nebraska, she’ll continue plowing long-dead fields, even as the locusts converge.

We haven’t been to the Caribbean in a while, she says gently, smiling at me. Her face goes flush.

Anna, I say, but then I stop. She’s right. We haven’t.

Maybe that’s where we should go then, she says, and then she tucks her hair behind each ear. You like it there, right?

Two days after we were married, we were on our way to the Caribbean, stuck in the very back row of some medium-size plane from Washington, D.C. We’d had drinks at the airport bar and wine after takeoff. The alcohol, the altitude, and the weird joy of it all were enough to motivate my wife to go down on me as the cabin lights dimmed and a rerun of Frasier came on the little drop-down televisions.

She kisses my neck and then my chest and then my stomach, working her way downward. My heart is running and I’m nostalgic as I touch the back of her head. Just relax, she whispers.

I close my eyes as she goes about the little routine of swirling kisses and harmless bites.

Then she puts me in her mouth and I hold my breath and concentrate on the rush of sensations. I think of dirty, pornographic things and grit my teeth. I think of swimsuit issues and those creepy phone sex commercials that come on when you can’t sleep. A minute later, I should be as hard as that stupid, ungrateful thirteen-year-old looking down white blouses in Catholic school. But I’m not—not even close.

Anna, I say.

"Just relax." She draws the word out, trying to hypnotize my penis. I’m determined to will an erection out of thin air, so I squeeze my eyes shut and concentrate some more. Aside from the lovely wetness of Anna’s mouth, though, there’s only this odd, rubbery little thing that I’ve somehow become.

I say her name again, but she doesn’t stop. It’s so small in her mouth and I feel a fresh wave of that awful humiliation that sent me scrambling to the bathroom ten minutes ago.

Anna, please!

Finally, she pulls away, startled, and I cover my stupid penis.

I’m sorry. I can’t. Shit. I just . . . I’m sorry.

She wipes her mouth and lies down again to stare at the ceiling. Tom, she says. But before she can say anything else, there’s a knock at our door, three small taps.

Mommy? Daddy?

Anna sits up and shakes out her hair. I locked the door, she whispers, and that somehow makes it even more embarrassing. She’s planned all of this down to the finest details. I briefly wonder if our daughter has been listening to this entire episode, and if so, how badly will she be scarred? I wish I could sink down into this mattress and disappear.

Mommy? Daddy? Can I come in? Please! Pleeeassse! She sounds scared.

Anna takes a breath and clears her throat—a mother again. She hops up and opens the door and Allie runs into the room, her eyes noisy and wide. You guys, she says.

What’s up, Allie-Cat? I say.

Her lower lip is shaking. There’s a burglar downstairs.

"A what? No, baby. You’re just dreami—"

"Nu-uhh. It’s not a dream. She’s on my side of the bed clutching our comforter, and Anna crouches beside her, smoothing her wild bed-head. He’s taking away all of our stuff. He’s stealing it. I can hear him. And then he’s gonna try to hurt us because robbers can’t leave witnesses. If they do then we’ll be able to pick them out in that room with the glass."

Thank you, Law & Order reruns.

Sweetie, I say, but then Hank stands up, the shittiest watchdog in North America, and growls at the door. There are footsteps and then rustling, and my daughter is right. There’s somebody downstairs.

See, she says. Tears are about to spill from wide eyes. I told you.

Shit, I whisper.

I wonder what someone does in a situation like this—all those actors in movies. And then for a moment I do absolutely nothing, as if the situation might simply resolve itself while the three of us sit here in this bedroom breathing. Then I realize that despite what both of them must suspect about me and my abilities as a man, Anna and Allie are looking at me. They’re waiting for me to do something. Waiting for me to protect them. Even Hank is looking at me now, perfectly still, the rigid statue of an ugly little dog.

OK, I say, which seems like a good place to start. You guys stay here. I’m gonna go check it out.

God help us.

Chapter 2

I creep down the stairs holding my nine-iron, which is the best weapon I can come up with. This seems like a better option than Anna’s hair dryer or, for that matter, it’s better than leaping from our bathroom window and fleeing off into the night by myself. I’ve got some clothes on now, a T-shirt and pajama pants, and Anna is at the top of the stairs in her sexy outfit with her cell phone.

Who is it? she whispers. Apparently she believes that I can see through walls and ceilings.

I’m nervous, but, more than that, I’m annoyed with the cosmic order of things because there isn’t an adult here to take care of this—a real adult, instead of an impostor like me. At this moment, I’m clearly fooling no one.

At the bottom of the stairs I turn through the entryway. Our front door is standing open, but it’s unscathed, and I wonder if I’ve forgotten to lock it. After all, this pretty much has to be my fault, the violent death of my family and the theft of our meager possessions and DVD collection. The refrigerator is open and there are bottles clanking. Our house is long and narrow, and so I can see through its length all the way into the kitchen where there’s a man rummaging through drawers. Despite the drama and this idiotic golf club, I take a breath and relax. There’s the familiar shock of graying hair and the tweed blazer that should have gone to Goodwill years ago. This burglar who has frightened the women in my life and exposed my questionable status as the man of this house is Curtis Violet, my stupid father, and he’s pouring himself a glass of wine.

Jesus Christ, Dad.

He spins around smiling and nearly spills his wine. This is the only red you seem to have. I’ve never heard of it. Is it any good?

"Have you ever heard of a doorbell?"

I have. It’s a fantastic invention. Yours, though, doesn’t appear to be loud enough.

As I close and lock our front door, I think of Anna’s sexifying music/animal sounds and the rushing of the sink and the deafness of impotence. I didn’t hear the doorbell, and so my dad let himself in. He has his own keys, because, technically speaking, this is his house.

Well, you’re lucky I don’t have a gun then, I say.

I think we all are, son. You and I aren’t the sort of men who should be armed. Oh, you’re not still playing with those old Callaways, are you? Let me get you the new PING irons. Pure graphite. You’ll never hit a ball straighter, my hand to God.

He plays golf about twice a year, badly, so I ignore his bullshit. From upstairs, Anna yells down, welcoming Curtis as if it’s the middle of the afternoon.

Hi sweetie, he tells the ceiling. Sorry to barge in.

He pours me a glass of wine, which is no easy feat considering he’s obviously drunk. His overnight bag is sitting on the kitchen table, but I ignore it, certain that I’ll be hearing about it soon enough. He gives me a lurid smile and his eyes are red and a little glassy. I wasn’t interrupting anything, was I?

No, Dad, not tonight.

We’ve exchanged a few phone calls and an e-mail here and there, but I haven’t seen him in a month or so, and when I flip on another light I see that the time hasn’t been kind. He hasn’t shaved in a while and he’s lost some weight. Some men can pull off a few days without shaving, but it tends to make Curtis look like a domestic terrorist.

With the coast now clear, the dog storms the kitchen with gusto, completing a quick victory lap and then landing at Curtis’s feet. He’s leery of strangers, this little dog, but he’s hopelessly devoted to the people he knows. His weird, curly little tail is wagging in a blur.

Well hi there, Hanky Panky. As he crouches to pet my dog, Curtis has to catch himself on the counter to keep from pitching forward onto the floor.

You’re drunk, Dad, I say.

I very well might be. But I’m not afraid to be drunker. In fact, I’m determined. Hank rolls over, flashing some skin, and my dad laughs.

I take a long sip of my wine, which is ridiculous on a random weeknight. Or maybe it isn’t. Maybe alcohol is exactly what I need—buckets of it.

Have you talked to your mother lately? How’s she’s doing?

This is my dad’s default question, one asked simply to fill space in a room. Whenever he asks, I consider asking him why he’s so much more interested now than he was during the handful of years they were married three decades ago. But I never do. "Not bad. She’s teaching Catcher in the Rye again this year. I guess her kids love it."

Curtis shakes his head. Well of course they do, Tommy. The only people who can actually get through that self-indulgent tripe without throwing up are teenagers and the criminally insane.

Thankfully Anna and Allie arrive to save me from my dad’s lecture on Salinger’s shortcomings. Allie is in Sesame Street pajamas and Anna has changed to shorts and a T-shirt. In her glasses and sensible sleepwear, she’s the bookish version of the sultry harlot I failed only moments ago, and her mere presence embarrasses me.

Allie crashes into her grandpa’s trousers, wrapping her arms around his legs.

Well there’s the prettiest girl in town.

I thought you were a burglar, Grandpa. I got scared because you were either going to take us hostage or shoot us.

"Well, you should be scared. I am a burglar."

Burglars wear masks, she says.

I left it in the car. It’s very itchy. I never said I was good at being a burglar.

Anna notices the overnight bag on the kitchen table and gives me a look. I shrug just enough to tell her that I have no idea and then she rolls her eyes at my perpetual lack of knowledge. It’s the silent language of marriage.

My dad sets Allie on one of the stools along our counter and touches the top of her head. So tell me, Allie. Would you like a glass of wine? Or maybe a cigar? I’m buying.

She finds this hilarious, and her laughter fills our little kitchen.

It’s very late, sweetie, says Anna. How about you go back to bed?

Are you going to be here tomorrow, Grandpa? You should have a sleepover party!

My plan is to go wherever the night takes me, darling, he says, and then he tips his glass.

Allie, says Anna. She’s stern now.

Our daughter looks at me, hoping that I’ve got some sort of veto power here, but she quickly resigns herself to defeat and begins a slow march up the stairs.

I’ll come tuck you in soon, honey, I say. And no spying. Lights out.

I can see by her expression that she’ll do whatever she damn well pleases until she hears me coming up the stairs. By now she’s old enough to know that we’re not going to beat her, so she’s pretty much got the run of the place.

When she’s gone, Curtis turns his attention to the wine, sniffing the rim of his glass like we’re in the south of France. Is this from one of those little vineyards in Virginia—over in the sticks?

I have no idea, Dad. I bought it at the Giant because I like the picture on the label.

He squints at a cartoon kangaroo bounding across the bottle. You’re right. It’s cute, isn’t?

So, are you just dropping by, Curtis? asks Anna.

I could have stood here all night sipping wine without asking him what he was doing here, but my wife has gone and blown it, and for some reason I feel like we’ve just lost a battle of wills. Women don’t understand these things. The bag itself was really just a prop to get one of us to ask him if he’s OK.

Classic Curtis Violet.

He sees his opening, of course, and embraces it. "Not exactly. I have some news. A lot of news, as a matter of fact." He looks out from our kitchen at the rest of our ground floor, assessing things. We still hardly have any furniture, and most of what we do have was put together by me, incompetently, from a box.

What is it? asks Anna.

"Well, first off, I’m sad to report that Ashley has asked me to move out. Well, to be more clear, she did more than ask. She was pretty adamant about it. You know how she can be."

Oh, Curtis. That’s terrible.

What happened this time, Dad?

Anna’s glare is sharp and sudden. Perhaps this time wasn’t completely necessary, but it’s late and I’ve had a shitty night.

He returns to the morose study of our kitchen, touching a shriveling orange that’s sitting on our countertop. A lot of things, I guess.

Anna pours herself a glass of wine, too, and I sip my own, and now we’re both drinking, waiting to see what my father has done now.

It’s a little embarrassing. But I’ve become involved with someone else, he says. Another woman. I didn’t intend for it to happen. It just did. It was an accident. It’s something I simply couldn’t control.

Of course, I say.

Anna touches his shoulder, giving it a little squeeze. The fact that she can be acting both surprised and concerned by this inevitability is worthy of an award from the Screen Actors Guild.

He frowns, showing a row of deep-set lines above his eyebrows. He’s about to say something, but suddenly he’s gotten distracted. Anna, dear, my God. What have you done? You look absolutely wonderful.

My wife blushes and tugs at the bottom of her old T-shirt. Oh, shut up, she says.

No, I will not shut up. I’ve never seen you like this. You didn’t have surgery, did you? You’re too young for surgery.

I wish. That’d be a lot easier. The gym, five days a week. It was a New Year’s resolution. She pats my stomach. "Actually, it was our New Year’s resolution."

Well, he says, it seems one of you is more committed than the other. I urge you to keep it up. You’re doing mankind a great service. Look at your calf muscles. I didn’t even know that calves could look like—

What’s your other news, Dad? I ask.

What?

"You said you had a lot of news. So far you’ve just told us one thing."

Thank you, Tommy, you’re right. I have some gifts for the two of you. He sets his wine down and digs around in his overnight bag for a while, finally removing a bright yellow T-shirt. Across the chest it reads, WWCVD. Beneath that, What Would Curtis Violet Do?

What does it mean? Anna asks.

I’m not entirely sure. One of my Advanced Fiction students came up with it. I guess he made dozens of them, and he’s been selling them around campus. Apparently it’s a satire on some religious saying, ‘What Would Jesus Do?’ I guess when Republicans or God people are confronted with a challenge or some sort of existential dilemma, they’re supposed to think about what Jesus would do and then use that as a guide. I thought you might like one.

Of course, I say. I don’t see how comparing yourself to Jesus could cause any problems.

But that’s not all. He’s on too much of a roll now to be baited by sarcasm. Next he takes out a thick, hardcover book. There’s a black-and-white picture of a much younger version of my dad on the cover. He’s sitting at his old typewriter, a sweater around his shoulders, looking all square-jawed and WASPy. I’ve seen it many times—it’s The Stories of Curtis Violet.

Dad, we’ve got like five copies of that.

But look, I’ve signed it for you.

On the title page, I see that he’s written: To my son and his beautiful wife—Curtis. Next to his name, he’s drawn his trademark violet, twisting and looping through his messy script.

Thanks. But you signed the other ones, too.

Oh, I know, Tommy. But I thought you might like another one. I imagine they’re going to be pretty valuable someday. Maybe you can sell it and buy some furniture.

He’s smiling at us in his academic way, and beneath the bloodshot eyes and the patchy growth of hobo beard, I see a familiar arrogance, one I haven’t seen in a while. OK, Dad, I’ll bite. Why’s that?

I’m no expert, but from what I’ve seen online, signed first editions of Pulitzer Prize winners can bring in a lot of money.

Anna gasps into her hands and a chilly path of goose bumps runs up my arms like electricity. You’re kidding me, I say.

Sonya called this morning. A lovely surprise, at long last.

Anna hugs/tackles him laughing and they nearly fall over the kitchen table together. I thought Nicholas Zuckerman was gonna get it again this year, I say. That’s what everyone was saying.

With my wife in his arms, Curtis Violet rolls his eyes like he’s smarter than all of us combined. Don’t be an ass, Tommy. That boring old Jew couldn’t write his way out of a paper bag.

It’s easy for me sometimes to forget who my father is, especially when he shows up drunk and reeking of pot. But the world has a way of continuing to remind me.

We need another drink, my wife says. She’s smiling and a little flushed. It reminds me of the first time she met him, back when we’d just started seeing each other. I was so ridiculously in love with her then after six dates that I pretended not to notice how flustered she got when he kissed her hand.

I agree, says Curtis. I don’t think this one bottle is going to do it, though. What else do we have in here, Tommy? You don’t have any dingo champagne do you? Koala, maybe?

Chapter 3

It’s nearly 1 a.m. by the time I manage to get my dad settled in our office/extra bedroom. We hug, but we’re both a little drunk, and so we almost fall down. I’ve missed you guys, Tommy, he says. Alcohol has always brought out the many different sides of Curtis Violet, and tonight he’s sentimental.

Where the hell have you been, anyway? I ask.

Here and there, he says. New York mostly. But I’m here now. I’ll just stay for a night or so, if that’s OK? Maybe I can spend some time with Allie tomorrow. That might be fun. What kind of things does she like to do?

She’s got school tomorrow.

School? What? She’s like four years old.

Close, Dad. She’s seven.

As promised, I look in on Allie before heading to bed. I find her half dozing against a stuffed panda the size of an acoustic guitar. Her reading lamp is on, a picture book across her chest. It’s about a boy who helps a lost penguin get back to the North Pole. It’s one of those books that if you read in a certain mood you’ll end up whimpering in front of your confused daughter like a mental patient. She senses me there at the door and cracks her eyes. Hi, Daddy.

What are you doing up? It’s tomorrow already.

Is Grandpa still here?

Yep.

I don’t like his beard. It makes him look like an old man.

I agree.

She pauses, thinking for a moment. How come Ashley doesn’t want to live with him anymore?

I suspect she’s been spying after all. Well, sweetie, your Grandpa Curtis can be . . . an emotionally tiring man. It kinda wears some people down after a while. Especially his wives.

"Are they gonna get divorced, do you think? Grandpa’s been divorced a lot, hasn’t he?"

I think he’s going for a record.

She looks at her hands, playing a silent tune with fingers. Can I tell you a secret? she says. I don’t like Ashley very much. She’s not very nice to me.

I pull the covers up over her chest. Well then, you’re definitely your mother’s daughter.

I’m your daughter, too.

That you are, I say, turning off her lamp. With just the nightlight in the corner, the room is all shadows. I stand up to leave her, but I’m not sure I want to yet. There are responsibilities outside this little yellow room that I’m not quite ready for.

Mommy said that you guys will never get a divorce. She said you love each other too much.

Oh yeah, when did she say that?

In the dark I see the whites of her eyes as she thinks. I don’t know. A while ago.

Well, she’s right. And we love you very much, too.

She nods, acknowledging this fact politely. She’s very blasé about our love for her, which I suppose is a good thing. I can tell that she’s trying to come up with something to say, a topic to keep me here. She hates bedtime, and if it were up to her, she’d roam the house all night, a wide-eyed little girl specter fiddling with the television and reading about penguins. Are you still writing your book, Daddy? she asks.

Shoosh, honey, I say. Remember what we said about Daddy’s book, right?

"Yeah. It’s a secret book? she whispers. It’s a

Reviews for Domestic Violets

[dorie.craig · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved this book! Alternatively hilarious and touching. The office scenes alone had me rooting for Tom. I look forward to reading more from this author in the future.

[m.belljackson · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Domestic Violets is a total rarity in modern depressing fiction: a novel with witty dialogue,a page turning plot that should never end, and real life characters emerging as a literary laugh out loud original.Five pages in, what came to mind was "Can he possibly sustain this?!?"Amazingly, Matthew Norman did.His often oddball cast of characters remain honest, there is blessedly little foreshadowing,and Pulitzer Dad treats us to a scathing one line review of THE CATCHER IN THE RYE.A couple of minor wonderings: leaving a dog alone in a car?alcohol after a cancer diagnosis? and a book left in a gym bag with a damp towel...?No fatalities here with dogs or humans (thank the gods) so many readers who love sarcasm,great plot twists, and true characters will be hoping that a successful bone marrow transplantwill give us many more years with a Great Sequel!

[voracious_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tom Violet is the less successful and not famous son of Curtis Violent, serial womanizer and celebrity, currently short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. Tom is stuck at a dead end job writing copyright for a firm that... well, even Tom isn't quite sure what they do. When the economy starts to tank and everyone begins losing their jobs, Tom decides to go out in a blaze of glory on his own terms. Now without a job but with a secret book of his own that just may be published, Tom has to deal with his father's drama with his most recent ex, Tom's attraction to a much younger woman at work, his feelings of insecurity, and other family issues, all at the same time. Fortunately, Tom tends to see the humor in every situation and tells his first hand account from a deeply sarcastic perspective, which makes this "domestic" tale hard to put down and seriously funny. Highly recommended for anyone with a sense of humor.

[zmagic69 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Very entertaining book. Brings you back to 2008 when the economy was Imploding, and everyone thought voting for Obama was a fix. Tom Violet works as a copywriter for a company that is soul crushingly boring, writing about product releases using all of the ridiculous business terms out here. You know: granular, stakeholders, WIIFM, KPI. Needles to say he hates his job.On the domestic front he is having trouble in the intimacy department with his wife, and not even fantasizing about his 22 year intern help.Enter his world famous author dad and who is separating from his fourth wife who is 6 months younger than Tom, and batshit crazy, and you get a very entertaining book about what to do when the life you have isn't working, and how to exit a job with hilarious results.I loved this book.

[dawnlovesbooks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

loved this book. read it in 2 days! very funny, but also sad and moving! the main character goes through a midlife crisis of sorts and decides he really wants to be a writer. I loved all the characters, even the dog, hank!!! :)

[bookaholicbanter · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I absolutely adored this book! I could have done without the GD's and the JC's (being the Christian that I am) but other than that, pure entertainment. I could relate to this story in a lot of ways if Tom were female.

[tanya8dogearedcopy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Domestic Violetsby Matthew NormanPublished by HarperCollins Publishers on 08/09/2011General FictionWHO: Tom Violet, an aspiring writer living in the shadow of his Pulitzer Prize- winning novelist-father…WHAT: is stuck in a dead-end job and a deteriorating marriage…WHERE: while doing time at the office and returning home to the upscale neighborhood of Georgetown (Washington, DC.) WHEN: In the weeks between the announcement of the Pulitzer Prize winners and the acceptance ceremony, Tom Violet’s father moves in with his son, adding to Tom’s struggle to remain afloat in a sea of implicit and explicit expectations. WHY: Tom walks a fine line between self-destruction and survival as he determines who he is…HOW: through his self-deprecating wit and boldness, and by negotiating the relationships of those most important in his life.+ This is a light read with an original and interesting, plot twist. Matthew Norman keeps a tight rein on the satire, keeping the tone suburban and never succumbing to the temptations of becoming too dark, scathing or maudlin. - The resolution of the story is somewhat awkwardly executed and vaguely unsatisfying. I’m not really sure I buy it as the story itself doesn’t sell it: There is a lack of narrative to support the transition from the selfish to the noble.- The same sensibility that kept the overall timbre of the novel light also denied the story the gravitas which would have hooked the reader to feeling Tom’s angst as opposed to watching it.OTHER: I purchased and dnloaded a digital eBook copy of Domestic Violets (by Michael Norman) during an eBook sale that HarperCollins was running in May, 2012. For some reason, I thought this was a lit-fic novel and had been putting it off until I was in the right frame of mind; but when I started reading it, I realized that the novel was more comedic in tone. I receive no monies, goods or services in exchange for reviewing the product and/or mentioning any of the persons or companies that are or may be implied in this post.

[chasidar_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I really enjoyed this book - well written, entertaining, funny. A book about authors and writing - what's not to like?

[23points · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Did not finish. I got so terribly tired of hearing of the complaints of a middle aged white man after the first 15 pages, then after another 15 I wanted to die. The protaganist, Tom Violet, was just so dramatically self-obsessed. I suppose the book's about him and he has a right to whine as much as he'd like, but really- hearing about erectile dysfunction and lusting after a colleague? Not terribly creative.

[florinda_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

One of the characters in Domestic Violets remarks that most first novels are autobiographical. Whether or not they’re autobiographical, it seems to me that a lot of first novels tend to be reminiscent of other people’s novels. That’s not meant to say that they can be derivative; it’s more likely due to the fact that a new author doesn’t have an established record yet, so he or she really can’t be easily evaluated against his own catalog. This can work either for or against them, depending on the connections a reader makes between the new author’s work and other fiction that seems similar--and with Domestic Violets, just about all of my associations were favorable.I think it’s an interesting comment on how quickly we process current events in the 21st century that Domestic Violets was published in the early autumn of 2011, and its events very specifically take place in the early autumn of 2008. The presidential election and the spread of the Great Recession both influence what’s happening to Tom Violet. Having said that, Domestic Violets isn’t about either of those events; as its rather punny title implies, this novel is firmly located in the domestic-fiction sphere. Its concerns--marital strains, friction between parents and adult children, career dissatisfaction--are everyday and entirely relatable, although in most everyday lives they’re not as funny.The humor runs high in Domestic Violets, as narrator/protagonist Tom Violet relies on it as a coping mechanism for the chaos of his life. He’s just worked up the nerve to show people the novel he’s been working on secretly for five years, while his world-famous novelist father has finally won the Pulitzer Prize--and moved into his spare bedroom, He and his wife Anna are in what’s best described as a “rough patch,” and his attraction to his young coworker isn’t helping smooth that out. The attractive coworker, and the amusement of an ongoing feud with a MUCH less attractive coworker, may be his primary reasons for going to the office each day, because the work holds almost no attraction at all. Things are pretty clearly on the verge of falling apart...and they do, quite entertainingly. Seeing how Tom picks up the pieces is quite entertaining as well.As I mentioned earlier, Domestic Violets reminded me of several other novels and novelists--all favorably. Matthew Norman’s style is his own, but his approach to some aspects of the novel reminded me of Jonathan Tropper and Greg Olear, while some of the work-oriented sections brought to mind Joshua Ferris’ Then We Came to the End. But Norman’s depictions of the domestic misadventures of literary people, particularly in the later portions of the novel, most made me think of Michael Chabon’s second novel, Wonder Boys. Chabon’s one of my very favorite authors, and Wonder Boys is my favorite of his books, so my connecting Domestic Violets with it is a very good thing for Matthew Norman and the future of our reading relationship.

[jenners26 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

BOOK DESCRIPTIONTom Violet is having a midlife crisis. Besides suffering from erectile dysfunction, he thinks his wife Anna might be having an affair. His dog Hank suffers from anxiety. Although the manuscript he’s been secretly working on for years is finally finished, his father Curtis has just been awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. (In addition, Curtis seems to have left his latest wife and moved in with Tom and his family.) His job at a soul-killing corporation writing copy filled with meaningless buzzwords bores him to tears. He makes work bearable by needling his arch-nemesis Gregory. The only good thing? His relationship with his cute young coworker Katie … who seems like she might reciprocate his inappropriate feelings towards her. What’s a sarcastic, frustrated writer with a larger-than-life father and a hot wife who doesn’t seem to need him anymore do to get his life back on track?MY THOUGHTSThis book was a hoot! Although this is his debut novel, Norman writes with self-assurance and gives Tom a blackly comic voice that tickled my funny bone and had me wondering just how he was going to work through all his problems. The book reminded me a bit of Jonathan Tropper’s This Is Where I Leave You, in that both deal with wacky, dysfunctional families with major issues to tackle. I mean this as a very high compliment, as I adored Tropper’s book.Although most of us probably couldn’t relate to having a father who is one of the greatest living American writers when our secret aspiration is to be a writer, most of us can relate to soul-killing jobs in offices that are full of backstabbing, empty buzzwords and nebulous goals. The sections where Tom is at work were my favorites. They brought back memories from my own office experiences.I also thought that the marriage between Tom and Anna felt true and lived in. Although both of them are seeking attention and validation outside of the marriage, they still love each other and are trying to find a way back to each other. I think most long-term marriages might go through patches like this—where the person we love is almost too familiar and trapped with us in the drudgery of daily life to be exciting and appealing. In addition, the relationship that Tom has with his coworker Katie seemed believable. I’ve observed several situations in my own life when the coworker relationship crossed some kind of line without straying all the way to affair. It is a curious dynamic that I haven’t seen addressed too often in fiction, and it was interesting to see how it developed.The book is a fun, fast read, and I look forward to finding out what Norman writes next. Recommended for readers who enjoy narrators with a sarcastic sense of humor, flaws and messed-up lives just like most of us!

[thealternativeone · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Book Review - Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman Mathew Norman Domestic Violets Format: e-book Edition (Kindle) File Size: 652 KB Print Length: 352 pages Publisher: Harper Perennial Publication Date: August 9, 2011 ASIN: B004NNUX66Tom Violet’s life train is headed for a disastrous and inevitable derailment and he isn’t even aware of it yet. His job is in jeopardy, his wife is unhappy and worse, and he’s a consummate crack-up who can’t hold his tongue. Add an entire suitcase full of daddy issues and you have an entirely engaging and entertaining work of fiction. But Tom is one of those fortunate people who find that sometimes when life calls for changes you roll with the punches and change. Certain reviews of Domestic Violets have categorized this book as chick-lit but it is far from that. As a matter of fact it isn’t for or about love at all. Pure and simple it is satire of the highest degree. Life, relationships, boring jobs, publishing, sex, drugs, etc. nothing is safe from the critical eye of Matthew Norman.However, the real reason this story works so well is the amount of clever and witty humor that first appeared on page one and never ended. At times, Norman had me in stitches. At others he had me in tears. And do you know why? Because he understands the human condition and while giving the readers a sense of the absurd he also hit the nail on the head more often than not. He told us in simple terms what people think, and feel, and say when their relationships are in trouble and in an odd way he also told us what they say and think and feel when they need to repair a failing relationship. This is a story to savor. It is well- crafted, funny, down-to-earth, flows quickly, and has that “it” quality I look for in every book; that page turning what-the-heck happens-next-oh-crap-this-is-totally-entertaining-and-wow-am-I-enjoying-myself-quality that you don’t often find in fiction these days.Anyone reading my reviews for very long would see that this is obviously not my normal bill-of-faire but on the advice of a friend (thanks Lisa) I gave it a try and found myself enjoying every page of this finely crafted novel. Do yourself a favor. Pick up Domestic Violets today. Give it a read and see if you don’t agree.4 ½ stars out of 5The Alternative Southeast Wisconsin

[dallenbaugh_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

The book is a contemporary fiction story set in New York and Washington D.C. Tom, the main protagonist, is in a dead end job, has a shaky marriage, deals with uncooperative body parts and a father who just won the Pulitzer prize in literature. As an aspiring writer himself, this is all just a bit much for Tom as he turns to a sexy co-worker for comfort, unleashes his caustic humor against another co-worker, and self medicates with alcohol and Viagra. Throw in a little cancer and a poor round of golf and you have the summing up of the pitfalls of life in modern America. The story was predictable, but I have to say that Tom has some great one liners that made me laugh. He stumbles his way into making some adult decisions and the book ends on an upbeat note. A casual, at times funny 3 star read.

[isigfethera · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

While this was mostly fun, there were a lot of elements to this book that I found irritating. Probably foremost was that I didn't believe in the main characters as English Literature majors, but I was also not thrilled with the way the marriage problems resolved themselves (trying to avoid spoilers, but I just didn't feel that he treated his wife all that well).Still, a fun read about marriage, mid-life crises and identity, with a lot of stuff happening along the way. Infidelity! Terminal illness! The pulitzer! The recession!

[samuraibunny · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

If there's ever anything I like in life, it's humor. Whether it's dry, moist, or any varying degree in between. Perhaps that's why I found Domestic Violets to be so refreshingly plainspoken. This book is a satire. From the very first page, it was obvious. It is a satire about everything. Life. Relationships. The boring, daily job. It also includes snippets of almost current events. If you enjoy satires as much as I do, then this book is a definite must.As much as I like this book, it was a little slow in the beginning. I feel that a good portion of the book was dedicated to establishing the setting. When I say good, it isn't in a good way either (bad writing there, but oh well, who reads these anyways?). But when the book picks up steam, it doesn't let up until you read to the back cover.[Insert witty, closing line here]*Thanks Goodreads First Reads Giveaway for a copy of this book, it will have an honorary place on my bookshelf*

[thelostentwife · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Another smart, witty comedy by a male author – I am on a roll this year and loving it. I fully admit to being one of those readers who is lured by pretty, magical covers and I dodged around this book numerous times in the bookstore because it just didn’t grab me – but then I started seeing reviews.. and those reviews spoke really, really well of this book.So … I gave it a shot.I am so glad I did. Once again, I am reminded never to judge a book by its cover. This story had me in tears, it had me groaning with pity, it had me just completely entertained for hours and hours. I savored the story, enjoying how well-crafted it was and I felt like I was reading a book that didn’t pull its punches. When I finally read the final page I felt as if I was saying goodbye to friends, and that, folks, is story-telling. I connected with these characters and I wanted more.I’ll definitely be looking for more stories from Mr. Norman – which I hope is soon, because I do not necessarily want to be reading his book on developing web applications!Check this one out if you enjoy smart contemporary stories.

[nbmars · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tom Violet is closing in on 35, and he has a number of problems. He cannot achieve the physical state necessary to have sex with his beautiful wife. His daughter Allie has drawn a picture of his mom’s new male “friend” to put on the refrigerator. His Pulitzer-prize winning and notoriously philandering father is not only distant, but has cast a huge shadow over Tom’s life. Tom works at a fatuous sell-out job writing corporate blurbs instead of writing a novel like he wants to do. And Katie, his young nubile assistant at work, is looking better to him every day. This is not a sad sack Walter Mitty type of tale; rather, it is a very clever and funny story that ends on a much more upbeat note than did James Thurber's story. Some of it will make you laugh out loud, and some of the more wistful parts can engender a few tears.Tom is intelligent, good-looking, witty, self-deprecating and self-destructive – a more or less faithful image of his famous father, Curtis. Curtis suspects Tom will make the same mistakes he did, and curiously begins to get involved in his son’s life. But it is separation from his father that Tom really needs to live a life that is all his own, instead of an imitation of the hero whose attention he could never quite hold. Evaluation: There’s not much more to the book except good writing, a lot of cleverness – maybe too much for real people to have – and a genuinely fun story to read. But what’s wrong with that?!! I have to say I like the similar Jonathan Tropper and Shalom Auslander better, but only because they add a bit of ethnic piquancy to an already satisfying meal.

[maryinhb · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tom Violet is having a bad day, well, actually a bad life. His sex life is down the drain, his famous father just won the Pulitzer Prize for a book he wrote years ago, he has a dead end job and HIS book will never be published. When his father shows up in his home (actually his father owns the house Tom lives in) states he just left his wife and proceeds to get drunk, Tom really thinks it can't get any worse. Then his mother's husband, Gary shows up as well. If all this sounds depressing, it really isn't since I think I laughed my way through much of this book. This story puts the FUN in dysfunctional. Tom is such and endearing character that you want to take him home, give him a drink and a quiet room and tell him everything is going to be ok. His dark sarcasm and wit are just icing on the cake. This really reminded me a bit of a cross between Carl Hiaasen and Christopher Moore, well, if Moore wrote without paranormal elements. It is funny, because a friend saw this book before I did and sent me an immediate message that this book was perfect for me! It has exactly all of the things I love in a good read: compelling characters, a bit of wackiness and snark. I prize snark over all else.

[bookmagic_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I found this book to be enjoyable and quite refreshing. I would have found a similar novel from the point of view of the wife to be tired and done to death. But from Tom's view, it had humor as well as poignancy. I didn't find the book as humorous as some because Tom seemed depressed to me, though hiding it behind his jokes.I think many will be able to relate to Tom's boring job at what he refers to as the "Death Star" and the highlights of his day include annoying his uptight colleague who takes work too seriously, and his snack runs with his cute and much younger underling, Katie. So far, Katie is the only one to read Tom's novel and she loves it.But now Tom is feeling overshadowed by his very successful and Pulitzer-Prize winning author father, Curtis Violet. Also, his wife wants to have another baby and his erectile dysfunction is not helping matters.This was a really good novel, with some great characters and great writing. I highly recommend it!my rating 4.5/5

[mcelhra · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tom Violet is a thirty-something husband and father working at a thankless corporate job in Washington DC. He’s just finished writing a book and although he’s too unsure of himself to actually show it to anyone, he dreams of becoming a famous novelist. It just so happens that his father, Curtis, IS a famous novelist and has just won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction.It’s getting harder for Tom to stomach his life in the corporate world and to make matters worse, he and his wife haven’t been communicating very well lately. Then his father shows up at his door in the middle of the night after having been kicked out by his wife. It’s almost more than Tom can take.I picked this book because I had been reading so many great things about in around the blogosphere. I was afraid that, as often happens, my expectations would be too high and it wouldn’t live up to the hype. I couldn’t have been more wrong! This was a fabulous book – it’s hard to believe it’s Matthew Norman’s debut novel. The writing is so descriptive and beautiful. It’s also filled with the dry, sarcastic humor that I love. It has shades of Jonathan Tropper and also of the movie Office Space. Tom is obviously flawed but instantly likeable. Actually most of the characters in this book could be described that way. Everyone must read this book – I insist!

[bagambo_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I heart Tom Violet! He is my first bookish crush. He's smart, creative, funny, and flawed - just the type of guy you want to marry and have babies with (yes, I still want to marry him in spite of that night with Katie). Tom is such a realistically drawn out character: he's struggling with his marriage; battling his arch nemesis, Gregory, at work; crushing on his assistant Katie; and dealing with the fact that his father, the famous Curtis Violet, has just won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction. You see, Tom wants to be a writer, too. He wants to produce something that will provide him with his own piece of glory, which is why he's bummed that no one (wife, mother, and almost agent) has read his book yet, to let him know just how awesome his writing is. Domestic Violets is a breath of fresh air - its clever, hilarious, honest and real, which makes it such a great book to read. Matthew Norman has truly hit it out of the park with his debut novel - not only has he demonstrated what a talented author he is with this cast of unforgettable characters, but he's also created this year's must read novel. I would most definitely recommend this novel to everyone! The writing is spot on and the story itself is so engaging that you can't help but find yourself so completely immersed in these character's lives that soon you are not only cheering them on to succeed, but also shedding a few tears when bad news finds them. Reading this book was such a treat, that I wish I hadn't read it in one day and instead taken my time with it so that I could prolong reaching the end. Now I can't wait for Norman's next book, because I'm sure its going to be just as brilliant as Domestic Violets was.

[readingwithtea · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

"When Lyle is gone and I've hung up the phone, I'm faced with the grim prospect of having do my job and write some more corporate propaganda."Tom Violet, 35, married to the beautiful and compassionate Anna and father of the adorable Allie, is a copywriter who is singularly uninspired by his job. To make matters worse, his adulterous, pot-smoking father has just won the Pulitzer Prize. So Tom's debut novel, slaved over in secret for years, looks like a non-starter. Oh, and he's struggling in bed, too.This is a bizarre mix of Then We Came To The End (to which I gave 10/10) and William Walker's First Year of Marriage: A Horror Story (2/10). Unfortunately, Domestic Violets had one of my least favourite types of protagonist: male, perfect family life, cynical, good at his job but apathetic and considers it beneath him, cringingly self-conscious, adulterous - in his mind or in actuality, makes no difference to me.The writing is quite good:"He's one of those aged pot smokers who kept at it while everyone else gave it up and got jobs and started quietly voting Republican.""Her eyes are big and she's jittery from all the excitement, like she's been sneaking handfuls of coffee beans since dinner, and I wish it was legal to fasten children to their beds.""It's like someone called a casting agency and requested an actor to play the part someone to annoy me.""We hold each other's eyes for a moment as he tries to crush my windpipe with his mind."But I wasted 3 hours on William Walker and wasn't going to make the same mistake with this one.One for fans of Nick Hornby.

[kaitlin_btts · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I don't typically read stories with men as the main character, so this was new for me. It's not that I try to stay away from them, it's just most books I tend to read are narrated in a girl's tone.The book starts out with Tom Violet complaining about his flaccid penis. I've got to admit, this was a first for me. But surprisingly, as strange as it sounds, it drew me in. I wanted to know what was going to happen to this man.There were parts of the story the were a little predictable to me. Like some aspects of his father's life, among other things. But those didn't stop me from loving the book.There were also few parts where I absolutely could NOT put this book down. I felt my heart speed up and my stomach drop as something HUGE was about to take place. That, to me, is definitely the mark of a good book.I really felt like I connected with Tom, especially regarding his job. Being someone who doesn't love their job it was quite easy to relate. I loved Tom's sarcastic whit, it reminded me a lot of my own husband in a way.I felt invested in each of the relationships in the book. I cared what was going to happen to them and worried everything would fall apart.I'm so glad I read this book.

[justmelissa_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Based on the title and description for Domestic Violets I was expecting a light-hearted, comical, easy read. What a great surprise when I started reading and discovered it was so much more. Matthew Norman is one part Richard Russo and one part Michael Chabon with a dash of Nick Hornby. Domestic Violets is a sarcastic yet sentimental study of family, fathers and sons, and underachievement. Tom Violet is neglecting his marriage, plodding along in his dead in corporate job,more than a bit lost, but cautiously optimistic about the future. His gimlet-eyed view of himself and the world around him is refreshing and sometimes laugh out loud funny. Tom is smart, sarcastic, irreverent, and a bit immature, but he means well. I couldn't put the book down and wish I could have hung out with the Violets for much longer.

[zibilee_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tom Violet’s life isn’t what he had hoped it would be. Working for a soul-crushing company where his only jollies come from tormenting his overbearing and obnoxious coworker Gregory, Tom feels stuck and unfulfilled. He also may or may not have a crush on his pretty young assistant Katie, a woman who is as intelligent as she is beautiful. His father is one of the foremost American authors and has just won the Pulitzer, a fact which makes Tom proud and envious all at the same time. Topping it all off, Tom’s penis seems to be malfunctioning, a problem exacerbated by the fact that his wife, Anna, is trying to become pregnant again. Though Tom has been languishing as a desk jockey for several years, he’s just completed his first novel, a fact he’s keeping secret from just about everybody, hoping he’ll one day become an author of the same caliber as his father. When the economic crisis hits, Tom’s job situation suddenly becomes dubiously strange, and while his feelings for Katie begin to mount, Tom’s relationship with his wife is becoming more and more complicated. Soon Tom finds himself at a sticking point at work, at home, and with his novel. Will his self-deprecating wit and verve be enough to save him from sinking, or will Tom go under, desperately trying to cling to all he could possibly lose? In this hilariously funny and inventive debut, Matthew Norman gives us Tom Violet in all his goofball glory and takes us on a journey filled with laughter, absurdity and surprising poignancy.This is another book I felt had a lot of appeal due to it’s effortless comedy. In Norman’s portrayal of sassy and witty Tom, there was hardly a page that didn’t have me snorting with laughter. It was obvious that Tom’s humor was an attempt to give himself a lot of the bravado that he felt had suddenly slipped away from his life, and that his hilarious asides were somewhat of a mask that he placed over his insecurities and self-doubt. It was a coping mechanism, and while it was intensely satisfying to read, smoothing out the narrative and giving the story its zest, it was also very humbling to witness the mental contortions that were basically keeping Tom afloat while his world began to slowly crash down around him.And believe me, Tom had a lot going on. While at first it only seemed like one area of his life needed improvement (his job), soon all the other areas began to fray in a rapid and destructive way. I think that while the sections that focused on Tom’s job provided a lot of levity, there was a realness to what he was going through that many people will recognize. I particularly loved Tom’s interactions with Gregory because I think his unusual form of getting Gregory’s goat was something that office denizens all over would applaud. These scenes were comic gold in my eyes, and for me, the most exciting parts of the book. Tom is also conflicted by the feelings that he has for his coworker, Katie, and though he tries to be as altruistic as possible about the trajectory of their relationship, the reality is much more unmanageable. I believe that Katie represented to Tom his fleeting youth and his desire to once again be carefree and desired. I also believe that these scenes were intensely realistic and at times emotionally tense. Every flicker of attraction that passed between them felt illicit and dangerous, though it was thinly veiled with the ever-present humor and lightheartedness that was a constant fixture of this book.Tom’s familial relationships were also areas that were filled with potential landmines. While his desire for his wife, Anna, is palpable, there was definitely something awry with their relationship, and Norman does a great job of making his readers really think about what’s going on (or not going on, as it were) with them. Tom loves Anna and she loves him, but there’s something just blow the surface that’s causing disrepair between them, and it’s not so easy for him to wish it away. Like Tom’s relationship with Anna, things between Tom and his father, Curtis, aren’t always easy to put the proverbial finger on either. Curtis is a arrogant and loud philanderer, and though father and son are very different, Curtis and Tom may share more traits than one might think. Add to this Curtis’ new and random presence in his son’s life, and Tom isn’t the only one asking questions. Curtis is who Tom wishes to be, his success and magnetism both a lure and a tool for deflection, and though there are things about his father that Tom dislikes, his admiration and wonder for the man leaves him puzzling over his own life and the motives he has for writing his novel.This was a book that managed to be both surprisingly funny yet also very deep, and it was a read that I had no problem getting invested in. It was a lot of fun to get a chance to hang out with the ever effervescent and wacky Tom, and the plot was far from predictable. I think Matthew Norman has a great career ahead of him, and he’s an author whom I’ll be watching. As a side note, this book also contains an author interview in the postscript that had me tearing up with laughter, and it’s not to be missed. An all-star book, highly recommended!

[ccourtland_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Contemporary novels depicting the tribulations of women are often referred to as 'Chick Lit.' If there is an opposite, I believe Domestic Violets by Matthew Norman has introduced an authentic 'Dude Lit' novel into the fictional world. This self-depreciating tale explores life's pit falls with a humorous edge and provides relatable circumstances that are complicated, but not entirely isolated because many adults face similar situations at some point in the work place, marriage and in familiar relationships. The male perspective is refreshing and I image it will be well-received by both women and men giving Dude Lit an advantage over Chick lit (read primarily by females). The story-line is predictable. Often, it is obvious where things are going and will end just as expected or anticipated. No surprises here. Men get a freer pass, a bit self-righteous in places, and the female characters are left to burden fault mixed with guilt due to the omission of truth and full disclosure. A plot twist seems opportunistic and given the father's ego, which is addressed the entire novel, I can't reconcile that he'd accept the offer presented by Tommy Violet. I understand why the author took this route, but I personally didn't like it. It was a convenient tie up of a loose end and an easy revelation. It was the path of least resistant and will give readers the over-all impression of a happy ending. The everyone wins, sort of, approach.

[whitreidtan · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It can't be easy living in the shadow of a famous author parent, especially when deep down, you want nothing so much as to write too. Thirty-five year old Tom Violet has been writing a novel for years, a little afraid his work won't be as good as his father's. After all, Curtis Violet has won all the major literary prizes and has now finally won the Pulitzer for fiction. But Tom has more than just his fears about writing inadequacies to worry about. The novel opens with him in the bathroom bemoaning his flaccid penis while his wife patiently waits for him in their bed, his erectile dysfunction merely a symptom of a larger problem in their marriage. He loathes his work as a copywriter stuck in a soul-sucking corporate job in the midst of the financial meltdown. If Tom had ever grown-up, he might be having a midlife crisis, as it is, and despite his actual age, he's just coming of age into the messiness of life and wondering how he got to where he is now. As Tom wrestles with the place in which he finds himself, he endears himself, in all his self-deprecating glory, to the reader. He is a bit of a jerk, needling a co-worker he hates at every opportunity and fantasizing about a young and beautiful colleague, but at heart, he is a good guy, wanting everything to come out right for others, even if he's a little afraid of that kind of success and happiness for himself. The secondary characters, his father Curtis, wife Anna, step-father Gary, daughter Allie, are all wonderful, quirky, and eminently human. Tom's overwhelming anxiety, stress, and dissatisfaction with his life are very relatable for readers and his response to the setbacks he faces are perhaps the things we all wish we could do or say at one time or another. There's a magnificent dry humor at work throughout the novel and Norman has written an entertaining send-up of authors and the literary world through the person of Curtis Violet. As the title suggests, this is a domestic-centered novel and it succeeds in all the ways that it does without the pyrotechnics of Hollywood. Refreshing, humorous, and appealing, Domestic Violets is a book that shows us our present, sends us up, and delivers the good feeling that is so hard to pull off without being too treacle. A quick and entertaining read, you'll leave its pages wishing you could meet the slightly bumbling, slightly snarky Tom Violet yourself.

[jackieblem · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tom has always lived in his father's shadow--he's a renowned author who has just won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction (and just as renowned a womanizer). So Tom is keeping the fact that he has just finished his own book an extreme secret. What he is not keeping so secret is the fact that his job as a public relations copy-writer for a huge company makes him crazy. His daily clash with one of his uptight, tie-wearing co-workers is laugh out loud funny. What's not so funny is the fact that Tom is experiencing erectile dysfunction and it's beginning to crush his marriage. Factor in his most recent crazy step-mother, his own mother leaving his big hearted stepfather, the enticing 23 year old copy-writer in his office and the possibility that his wife is having an affair, it wasonly a matter of time before Tom went berserk. And boy did he ever!Norman has a lyric writing style that made me frequently stop and re-read a sentence or two because it was so beautifully written. This book deals with some profoundly difficult issues with tremendous humor without ever degrading the pain and drama that were involved in them. This is his debut novel. I certainly will be eagerly watching for more from him in the future--he's got the making of a powerful voice in fiction.

[greatimaginations · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I finished reading this book last night before bed, and since then I have been looking forward to writing this review. Can I just say how much I adored reading this book? I said earlier that this was the best book I have read so far this year, and I meant it. I loved every little thing about it. As soon as this book hits the stores, I am going to go buy a copy for my personal library. Domestic Violets opens a little bit strangely, with its main character Tom having a little problem with erectile dysfunction. Therefore, I was a little bit worried about how the book would play out. It turns out though, that I shouldn't have worried. The story was strange, funny, quirky, pathetic, and absolutely a joy to read. As a reader and reviewer, when a book is great you just know it. This will be a story that just resonates with its readers like it did me. I am physically sad that it is over. Let's talk about the characters for a second, because they are what push the story over the edge into fabulous territory. There's Tom Violet, who is so likeable and flawed at the same time that it makes him feel like a real person and not just a character. Tom hates his job in corporate America, he loves his wife Anna, but the passion has gone out of their relationship. Tom develops a crush on the other copywriter at work. This makes his marriage even worse, because he keeps comparing his relationship with Anna to his relationship with Katie. Then there is the fact that his father is a famous, award winning writer. Tom idolizes his father, but is afraid his marriage will end up failed just like all of the relationships Curtis has had. Tom is also writing a book, but has been afraid to show it to anyone but Katie, because he is afraid that they will hate it. Aside from all those story elements, there is a quirky cast of characters who all feel like they could have existed in the world that I personally inhabit. This is a book for readers, writers, and lovers of books. It's a story about normal people in an insane everyday world, dealing with real life problems. The things that happen in this novel could easily happen to you and me. And that's what makes it so great. Full of dry humor and a whole lot of love, Domestic Violets is a book that everyone should pick up. I would stand out on a street corner in the pouring rain and promote this book for free. That's how much I loved it. Do yourself a favor and pick up a copy. Highly recommended by me.

[kalky_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I love when I find a book that I make time in my day to read. There are some I pick up because I'm bored, and of course I regularly read at certain points in each day, but "Domestic Violets" was a novel that I was desperate to read, and I budgeted huge gaps of time to make it possible.The main character, Tom Violet, is like many other men. Thirty-something, trapped in a soul-crushing job, distanced from his wife and wondering why, worried about erectile dysfunction, and wishing for so much more from his life. He's unique in that his father, a charismatic novelist and Lothario, has just won the Pulitzer, and has moved in with Tom and his family because his latest beautiful-but-crazy wife has kicked him out due to his infidelity.Tom's voice is excellent, and his dry observations on marriage, parents, corporate silliness, and genders carry this novel even when the plot becomes a bit predictable -- happily, not until the end is near. It's a light and easy read with great depth and humor (my favorite kind!), and I was sad to say good-bye to Tom and Curtis Violet.