Keep Your Mouth Shut and Wear Beige-Kathleen Gilles Seidel

Keep Your Mouth Shut and Wear Beige
Kathleen Gilles Seidel
St. Martin's, Apr 2008, $22.95
ISBN: 9780312367749

In Virginia ICU nurse Darcy Van Aiken and her ex spouse Mike get along reasonably well just as they did in their two decades of marriage and not just for the sake of their three kids; especially since two have left the nest. However the family dynamics are changing as their oldest son Jeremy is getting married soon to clothing designer Claudia Postlewaite.

Darcy was a bit apprehensive in meeting her future in-laws as they are wealthy and she and Mike are middle class, but she and Claudia’s mom seem to get on quite well. However, Darcy is upset that her future daughter-in-law sees her nuptials as advertising to further her professional reputation and to insure she stays amongst the social upper crust. Darcy wants what is best for Jeremy, but resents paying an exorbitant emotional price.

Amusing with a light tone yet populated with fully developed characters, KEEP YOUR MOUTH SHUT AND WEAR BEIGE is actually a very deep look at the dynamics of relationships when external forces changes the internal energies. Darcy and Claudia are adversaries with Mike caught in the middle; the rest of the cast are pulled in one direction or another by the battling amazons. Kathleen Gilles Seidel uses hyperbole and humor to tell a poignant tale of how the adult child inadvertently nukes the expectations of the parent.

Harriet Klausner