"Claire Casey's Had Enough"

Liz Alterman lives in New Jersey with her husband, three sons, and two cats. She spends most days repeatedly microwaving the same cup of coffee and looking up synonyms.

Alterman applied the Page 69 Test to her new novel, Claire Casey's Had Enough, and reported the following:

On page 69 of the novel we see the main character, Claire Casey, asking her friend’s mom, Bea (who has moved in down the street while recuperating from a fall), for advice. Claire’s dilemma? Should she meet Alex, her former boyfriend, at a hotel bar for a drink?

Claire is 46 and recently separated from her husband, Paul. Bea, a widow, is 78. The women have struck up an unexpected friendship and confide in and inspire one another.

Here’s a bit from page 69:

Worn out from pacing, Claire collapsed to the floor and lay on her back. ‘What do I tell him? Do I go? What happens if I do?’

‘How will you feel if you don’t?’ Bea asked. ‘Nobody knows this...’ Bea’s brown eyes, magnified by her glasses, grew wider ‘...but I have a “what if” suitor in my past.’

‘You do?’ Claire sat up and folded her legs criss-cross applesauce.

If a reader opened to this page, they would absolutely get a good feel for the story as it follows Claire, a mom of three, who reconnects with Alex, an old boyfriend, at her college reunion and must decide if he's a fond memory or her future.

While nothing has happened between them at this point in the novel— beyond exchanging flirty and nostalgic messages—when Alex invites Claire to meet him at a hotel bar for a drink, she realizes if she goes it will mean more than just a cocktail—it will spell the end of her marriage.

Both women in this scene grapple with the “what if”s that can haunt us at any point in our lives. The novel also focuses on the importance of friendship and not losing sight of the people who truly matter amid the endless tasks that often consume our days.

For these reasons, I believe the Page 69 Test works well.

Visit Liz Alterman's website.

Q&A with Liz Alterman.

My Book, The Movie: The Perfect Neighborhood.

The Page 69 Test: The Perfect Neighborhood.

The Page 69 Test: The House on Cold Creek Lane.

My Book, The Movie: The House on Cold Creek Lane.

Writers Read: Liz Alterman (August 2024).

My Book, The Movie: Claire Casey's Had Enough.

--Marshal Zeringue