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PEOPLE & ARTS Monday 1 July 2019
Novel dissects divorce with sharp, funny scalpel

By BROOKE LEFFERTS gether. Rachel's busy schedule mothers, who are, after all,
Associated Press An old friend of Toby's and pressure to keep up juggling two jobs.
"Fleishman Is in Trouble" serves as the narrator and with the elite banker crowd There's a plot twist that
(Random House), by Taffy judge, coloring the story pushes her to the point of drives the narrative, but
Brodesser-Akner with her own insecurities a breakdown. Rachel gets it's the way that Brodesser-
There was once a time and marital itchiness. The her say in the last part of the Akner manages to notice
when becoming a doc- first part of the book reveals book, and we see where both the minutiae of rela-
tor or marrying one was Toby's side of things, and she got her drive, how spe- tionships that universally
an ideal measure of suc- while he paints himself as cific life events devastated drives people crazy as well
cess. But "Fleishman Is in a martyr who took a back her and made her feel like as a macro picture of how
Trouble," the new novel by seat in his career as a liver no one — including Toby — being married feels after
Taffy Brodesser-Akner, re- specialist to play Mr. Mom, had her back. 15 years that anchor the
jects that antiquated no- it's clear his self-pity, fear of Brodesser-Akner is a jour- book. Both Toby and Ra-
tion and several other tired failure and disappointment nalist best known for her chel get caught up in her
societal tropes, shining a in the way his life has turned in-depth celebrity inter- drive for the house in the
light on how we view work, out contributed to the disin- views, including a New York Hamptons, private schools
relationships and material tegration of the family. Times magazine cover story This cover image released by and invitations to exclusive
Random House shows "Fleish-
things. In Toby's version, Rachel on Gwyneth Paltrow and man is in Trouble," by Taffy playdates, clouding their
Toby Fleishman, a Manhat- is the easy villain — ob- Goop that got attention Brodesser-Akner. values and breaking prom-
tan doctor and father of sessed with money and for its incisive reporting and Associated Press ises they made to each
two, is in the middle of a status — who rose from as- humor. The author's sharp other long ago.
painful divorce and finds sistant to superagent to the wit and descriptions of a realized strip the desire out One overall message is that
the best medicine is swiping stars, working long hours, certain urban privileged life of sex until it becomes a holding onto the routine
right on Tinder to ease his networking for social and are dead-on and often hi- chore. All the mid-life cri- of staying "busy" — over-
pain. The plot takes place professional gain, and be- larious. The novel feels fresh ses symptoms are here: scheduling, rushing, com-
over just a few weeks, but coming the breadwinner and modern with a satirical from tawdry affairs to Bo- peting and social media
the story of how his 14-year while growing increasingly edge, but enough truth to tox boosts, yoga retreats posting — often results in
marriage to Rachel de- powerful and financially sting even the schmoopiest and the politics of navigat- feelings of loneliness, inad-
volved into an angry, bitter successful. of married couples. ing dating app hookups. equacy and a lack of con-
mess comes in flashbacks The seeds of resentment She describes how parent- Stay-at-home moms won't nection.
of how the couple met, fell are sown as Toby feels in- ing and work exhaustion, like her assertion that they Toby Fleishman isn't the
in love and built a life to- creasingly inadequate and bitterness and dreams un- have it easier than working only one in trouble. q

Big music fest abruptly ended over security, fraud suspicion

BRUSSELS (AP) — A music Rocky, "it was decided that
festival in Belgium featuring the safety of the artist and
major stars like rapper Car- the public could not be
di B came to a chaotic end guaranteed." However, se-
before it had even started. curity issues were not cur-
Security concerns were os- rently included in the inves-
tensibly the reason behind tigation. A$AP Rocky said
the cancellation of the on Twitter that the promot-
VestiVille festival in Belgium ers had told him that "secu-
on Friday, though local of- rity and infrastructure con-
ficials have launched a cerns" would have been
fraud investigation. "handled but unfortunately
That's added a further layer for you and me they didn't."
of confusion and rekindled There was no immediate
memories of the Fyre Festi- response to an email query
val, the failed music bash to VestiVille about alleged
in the Bahamas in 2017 that deficiencies and other po-
was brought to the world's tential problems behind
attention in a smash Netf- the cancellation, which re-
lix documentary earlier this called the Fyre Festival de-
year. bacle. That was meant to
Videos posted on Twitter be a music blowout in a lux-
show an elaborate stage urious setting on a Bahami-
apparently ready for the In this June 16, 2019 file photo, Cardi B performs at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival in Man- an island. It never opened
three-day music fest on a chester, Tenn. due to a bevy of problems
campsite in Lommel, in Bel- Associated Press from security to food.
gium's Flemish region. But Rapper Ja Rule, a co-
thousands of festival-goers prosecutor's office has The three were not identi- VestiVille wrote on Face- founder of Fyre Festival,
from around Europe and opened an investigation fied. An investigating judge book and Twitter on Friday was to perform Saturday
elsewhere got a shock as on suspicion of fraud over was said to be question- that Lommel Mayor Bob at VestiVille. He has denied
police, some with dogs, payments and quoted ing them further over the Nijs stopped the festival on any involvement in any
moved in to try to keep spokesman Jeroen Swijs- weekend on an array of security grounds. The posts fraud and has never been
them out of the grounds. sen as saying three of the suspicions including fraud, said that after consulting charged with any wrong-
Belgium's RTBF network said festival organizers were laundering and breach of security services and se- doing related to the failed
Saturday that the Limbourg questioned Friday night. trust. curity for star rapper A$AP enterprise.q