ŷ������

3.75 stars rounded up.
I’ll get it out upfront. At over 500 pages, this novel is just way too long. Granted, it’s a family saga covering decades with multiple narratives of a husband and wife, their four grown daughters and a fifteen year old grandson who comes into the mix. It felt like a made for TV series. I was reminded so much of dysfunctional TV families like the one in “Brothers and Sisters��, where the characters are always in each other’s faces, in each other’s business all of the time or maybe it’s more like “This is Us�� because there is so much moving back and forth among characters, moving back and forth to various times in the past to the present. Even though it was too long, felt tedious at times, I kept reading because I was so engaged with these flawed characters and to stretch the TV analogy one step further, it was like binge watching a show.

David and Marilyn Sorenson are very much in love, but their marriage is not a perfect one. They have raised four daughters, now adults and none of them are having a happy life. Through their alternating narratives we get a good picture of who these characters are and what the family dynamics are. It’s introspective in a lot of ways and we learn their intimate thoughts on their lives as well as what they think of each other. A lot of ground is covered as the past is divulged - alcoholism, grief, depression, infidelity, jealousy, resentment and secrets that come to light.

Reading this was not the most fun I ever had, but I definitely enjoyed it. One hell of a dysfunctional family and I had a love-hate relationship with all of the characters except 15 year old Jonah whose appearance into their lives was what this family needed and they were what he needed. A notable debut which could have been better if it wasn’t so long, but I’ll still give it 4 stars. Recommended for those who enjoy family sagas. I’m late in reading and reviewing this but glad I finally got to it.


I received an advanced copy of this book from Doubleday through Edelweiss.