Lost in the Garden

the long version

Like Tom Perrotta and Nick Hornby, Philip Beard writes insightfully, movingly, and with the lightest touch about the messiness of life. Michael Benedict, overprivileged but undermotivated, seems to have it all: a beautiful wife, two lovely daughters, a law practice, and a natural golf swing. But when his wife announces she's unexpectedly pregnant with their third child, Michael's underwhelming response disturbs the fault lines of both his marriage and his psyche. Seeking solace, Michael turns to his golf game and a kind of sex that isn't exactly extramarital. A deft tightrope walk between heartbreak and hilarity, Lost in the Garden is a novel for anyone who's ever felt life was a work in progress.