Sudden Rain

Book excerpt: In 1972, in the suburbs around L.A., traditional housewives in their 30s and 40s are starting to ask whether they are satisfied by their everyday lives; meanwhile, a young woman in her early 20s feels paralyzed by her options. The story centers around five middle-class L.A. couples of three different generations and the ways in which their relationships and home lives are affected by the trends (specifically the rise in divorce and feminism) of the time. Maritta Wolff's moving, compelling novel takes place in one stormy L.A. weekend, as a literal fog of unrest blows into town, and alters these marriages forever.