Plot introduction
THE PLAYROOM unfolds like a dream wrapped around a family drama: four children in their attic hideaway make up a fantastic story, while downstairs their parents weave a drunken intrigue of their own. In a lyrical but gripping dual narrative, the story of the children’s life intertwines with the story they make up about their life–until the two stories collide and the delicate family structure collapses. The action plays out through the eyes of Maggie Cantwell, a tempestuous teenager who turns reality into a game and make-believe into a life-or-death undertaking. But Maggie is getting too old to believe in the tales she spins for the younger children. Before the night is over, she must confront the truth and make a terrible choice. Emotionally riveting and surprisingly funny, THE PLAYROOM is the story of how Maggie and her siblings survive the most fateful night of their lives.
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