| We sometimes speak of the Civil War as "TheWar Between the States"-emphasizing the com-plex and painful, but in many ways comic, natureof any struggle involving combatants who are al-ready joined together by deep bonds. The four-wayconflict between Brian and Erica Tate and theirtwo adolescent children is this sort of civil war-the sort that nobody really wins. Like most suchwars, it is preceded by a period of growing tension.Once the Tates were the nicest and most attractiveand successful family they knew, but now every-thing is going wrong. Jerry-built new ranch homesare surrounding their perfect house in the country,Erica is bored and restless, Brian s career as apolitical scientist is at a standstill, and their well-behaved children have become revolting-in bothsenses of the word-teenagers. The first shots are fired when Erica discoversthat her husband is sleeping with a blond studentnamed Wendy. Brian tries to make peace by an-nouncing that he is breaking off the affair, and hiswife promises to forgive him, but both fail to ob-serve the terms of the truce. Erica frets and spies;Brian not only takes up with Wendy again, butmakes her pregnant; and the war between the Tatesis joined. |
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