Easter parade

Richard Yates's family novel, first published in the United States in 1976, tells the story of two sisters. Emily lives in New York, is moving up the ladder in an advertising company and has several flings without looking for a stable relationship. By contrast Sarah, her older sister, lives in a small provincial town, has a family and is trapped in a joyless marriage. Their parents' separation scarred Emily and Sarah when they were little, just as their mother Pookie did, a petty and superficial woman obsessed with the idea of building an idyllic life. The two protagonists' lives are marked by unhappiness and the collapse of a family ideal they can't find along their paths. The story is framed by a country that's changing and, over about 50 years, exposes all the frailties of the “American dream”. The title refers to the famous Easter Parade held in New York, during which Sarah and her husband Tom are snapped by the New York Times – a photo that captures a fleeting moment of happiness jarring with an everyday reality where dreams actually unravel.  

Easter parade
Richard Yates
Minimum fax, 2008