The Ten Year Nap by Meg Wolitzer

I've mentioned that a book has to resonate over time with me. Well, what I mean by that (somewhat self-aggrandizing!) statement is that my mind has to spontaneously revisit a book's themes again and again over a significant chunk of months. I read The Ten Year Nap about a year ago, and I've thought about it consistently since then. The chief plot concerns Amy, a stay at home mother and former attorney, who is forced to consider returning to the workplace. Wolitzer deftly weaves the stories of other Manhattanite mothers into Amy's world. Some of these women work, some don't; all have made choices that have left a residue of regret. I simply love the title of this book--I think a lot of stay at home mothers feel cut off from the workaday world, almost as if they're living in a dream far removed from the hurly burly of careers, ambition, and dressing for success. Having to go get a full-time job would be quite a rude awakening. Or would it? You'll have to read The Ten Year Nap to see what happens to Amy.