One out of Three

I read three highly praised recent novels by young authors. Two of them were completely lost on me. Poorly plotted stories of misfit main characters and their even more dysfunctional, horrid families: what's the point? Perhaps it is a new genre, misfit ennui? You Were Wrong topped it off with edgy, often annoying, writing. Erased was filled with absurd characters that toppled into goofiness. The Hidden by Tobias Hill was a welcome relief, good writing, well drawn characters. It reminded me of Don Delillo's The Names in many respects, which is a compliment. A recently divorced anthropologist washes up at an archeology dig in Greece. He tries hard to be accepted into the secretive inner circle here.This conceit did wear thin, but the accelerating pace of the ending freshened it up. Be careful what you wish for.