I'm going to start this out with the statement that I don't generally care for literary novels. This is most definitely one of those, with all sort of family drama. However, I was captivated by the writing, the word usage. I found it quite lyrical in places. I also found the fact we don't meet the narrator until the last third of the book novel and interesting.
There is no great mystery in the story, unless you count the things not said that might have cleared up misunderstandings. We have Salo Oppenheimer, who married Johanna, because why not? They had 3 children IVF because the other way wasn't working for them. The children, born together, were called 'the triples', even though they really weren't triples. They didn't like each other, and tried to get as far apart from each other as they could while still obeying their mother's rule about gathering on their birthday each year.
Salo collected art. Johanna tried to create the illusion of a happy family. The children concentrated on getting through high school so they could leave home and go to college elsewhere. Lives lived in parallel.
The children left for away school. Johanna remembered a fourth embryo, frozen at the time of the IVF procedure. Why not thaw it out, hire a gestational surrogate and have another child to raise? Up to this point, the lives of the Oppenheimers would have matched most other lives in their socioeconomic status. The new baby changed everything.
I liked this book. The new child has lots of personality, but then she would need it dealing with her siblings. This is a charming book. I'm glad I read it.
I received the copy of the book I read for this review from Netgalley.
There is no great mystery in the story, unless you count the things not said that might have cleared up misunderstandings. We have Salo Oppenheimer, who married Johanna, because why not? They had 3 children IVF because the other way wasn't working for them. The children, born together, were called 'the triples', even though they really weren't triples. They didn't like each other, and tried to get as far apart from each other as they could while still obeying their mother's rule about gathering on their birthday each year.
Salo collected art. Johanna tried to create the illusion of a happy family. The children concentrated on getting through high school so they could leave home and go to college elsewhere. Lives lived in parallel.
The children left for away school. Johanna remembered a fourth embryo, frozen at the time of the IVF procedure. Why not thaw it out, hire a gestational surrogate and have another child to raise? Up to this point, the lives of the Oppenheimers would have matched most other lives in their socioeconomic status. The new baby changed everything.
I liked this book. The new child has lots of personality, but then she would need it dealing with her siblings. This is a charming book. I'm glad I read it.
I received the copy of the book I read for this review from Netgalley.