THE LATECOMER is a family drama that takes the reader on a journey through the lives of a married couple who had done IVF in 1981 with triplets and are now using the last egg to have a baby through gestational surrogate when the triplets have gone off to college. The book builds slowly and begins with where the parents met - where they said their story started and where it actually did. It weaves through time from there.
I struggled with this one a bit, as it is very slow and felt like a memoir at times, going into extraneous details about people around them, reasonings, histories, and so on. It was tough to figure out exactly what needed to be remembered at first, so it was slow to read as well. The writing felt very meandering, but I know that this is a style that will work for others well. It is very much a literary book about family, religion, secrets, and relationships. People who enjoy a literary deep dive into others' lives will find this to be quite compelling.
Overall, this one just wasn't for me, but I am sure there are others who will appreciate the slow builds, the meandering pace, and the deep character dives. Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.
I struggled with this one a bit, as it is very slow and felt like a memoir at times, going into extraneous details about people around them, reasonings, histories, and so on. It was tough to figure out exactly what needed to be remembered at first, so it was slow to read as well. The writing felt very meandering, but I know that this is a style that will work for others well. It is very much a literary book about family, religion, secrets, and relationships. People who enjoy a literary deep dive into others' lives will find this to be quite compelling.
Overall, this one just wasn't for me, but I am sure there are others who will appreciate the slow builds, the meandering pace, and the deep character dives. Please note that I received an ARC. All opinions are my own.