As a sequel to the narrative that chronicles his family's time in France, "Paris to the Moon," Adam Gopnik brings us "Through the Children's Gate: A Home in New York." The title serves as an accurate, if incomplete, description of what the chapters of this book contain.
Gopnik, as a regular contributor to "The New Yorker," knows New York well. At the very least, he knows multiple facets of the city, which is a veritable maze of intersecting worlds. Gopnik reads the changes that have taken place over the past two decades with a compassionate but rational eye. He admits a wry understanding of the skepticism of native New Yorkers toward the alterations that have diminished the prospect of danger.
These New Yorkers bemoan that the charm of their bustling epicenter has been somewhat dulled with the retreat of crime and the infiltration of "yuppies." Nonetheless, the intrinsic, vestigial appeal of New York is obviously not absent, and its grandiose scale and promise of novelty winks from behind every closed blind.
It seems everyone has a concept of New York, be it based on time spent there, on hearsay, or on one of hundreds of films. The crowds, the wealth, the homelessness, the black attire, the neuroses, and the brusque dismissive quality of the inhabitants are all legendary aspects of the city, which make it New York.
Gopnik is attuned to the fact that New York, as a concept, is so big in itself that inhabiting it means living in one's idea of New York and the daily routine of the city simultaneously. With his narrative, he does not refute the stereotypes, nor does he verify them.
Gopnik includes amusing anecdotes that concern visits to his psychologist (supposedly like all New Yorkers, he has one), the frenzied attention that parents bestow upon their children, the hellish search for an apartment that satisfies a fraction of the renter's criteria, and the strained negotiations that take place between neighbors whose ceilings are each other's floors.
He and his family are a part of the idea of New York as much as they are members of reality. The writing in "Through the Children's Gate" is smart and contemporary. His references to the pop culture are frequent though not heavy-handed, and while this method engages the current audience, it becomes difficult to imagine first name references to Tom, Nicole and Demi carrying through to the next century. Although this element might endanger the longevity of his work, he recovers his footing with wonderful anecdotes about his children and his discovery of New York through their eyes.
Gopnik's illustration of New York resonates accurately and will make many hunger for whatever niche the city's visitors and residents have mapped out for themselves. It is clear through his engaging accounts of the city that New York is a city all its own. Despite the changes that have taken place, and those that are imminent, New York will always have something for everyone, be it horror or an undeniable and somewhat mysterious allure.