So basically this book, Carpenter's Gothic, is written almost completely in dialogue, about the story of Liz, a struggling writer, and her husband Paul, a drunk vietnam vet struggling to set up a buisness as a media consultant. The couple rent a house in the Hudson Valley, from the mysterious McCandless. Paul represents Reverende Ude, a missionary trying to garner support for his cause. However, when a little boy drowns when Ude is baptising him, Paul is face with a great professional challenge. This puts strain on his marriage with Liz, who seeks solace in the arms of their landlord McCandless. As communication between the couple breaks down completely, Liz becomes isolated and desperate. Then she dies at the end very undramatically which then somewhat made the whole story pointless to me. I am definitely looking forward to the next book.