I was suprised that I liked this book as much as I did. In fact, I don't even know why I chose it for my BOTM--only that it felt like the strongest pick that month (wasn't too excited about the rest). But I opened the novel...and then read it all in one night. And now I'm excited to see what else this debut author will write.
The format of the book: 3rd person, with switching main perspectives that skip around from character to character. Each chapter begins where the last one leaves off (like, literally, it begins with whatever was uttered last in the last chapter). I think that some people did like this, as it helped with the transition. I wasn't so into this tactic, but I can see why others might like it. I mean, overall, it was just a choice the author made and it didn't detract (or add) to the story for me. The great thing about the constantly changing perspectives is that you get a handle on different characters. There's no one "central" character; the "main character" is the family dynamic (and the push, the pull, the strain, and the cohesion that you read about over the course of the novel). I found myself deeply invested in each person.. each flawed person who made a mistake and the way those mistakes affect the relationships between the group. I cared about Sunday, and Denny, and Kale, and Jackie... was less thrilled with their father, but it also reminded me of how my own father acts in some ways and that reflection was profound. I felt like I could have read on...I think that the book was shorter than it could have been, and there were threads that were looser than I would have liked. I also think that this was intentional on the author's part. I could definitely see myself reading more about this family and the special bond that they share.
I really never thought of myself as someone who likes to read into the subgenre of family drama in fiction, but this was a compelling account of the bonds that form between family and the ways that they can change, but never break, over time.
The format of the book: 3rd person, with switching main perspectives that skip around from character to character. Each chapter begins where the last one leaves off (like, literally, it begins with whatever was uttered last in the last chapter). I think that some people did like this, as it helped with the transition. I wasn't so into this tactic, but I can see why others might like it. I mean, overall, it was just a choice the author made and it didn't detract (or add) to the story for me. The great thing about the constantly changing perspectives is that you get a handle on different characters. There's no one "central" character; the "main character" is the family dynamic (and the push, the pull, the strain, and the cohesion that you read about over the course of the novel). I found myself deeply invested in each person.. each flawed person who made a mistake and the way those mistakes affect the relationships between the group. I cared about Sunday, and Denny, and Kale, and Jackie... was less thrilled with their father, but it also reminded me of how my own father acts in some ways and that reflection was profound. I felt like I could have read on...I think that the book was shorter than it could have been, and there were threads that were looser than I would have liked. I also think that this was intentional on the author's part. I could definitely see myself reading more about this family and the special bond that they share.
I really never thought of myself as someone who likes to read into the subgenre of family drama in fiction, but this was a compelling account of the bonds that form between family and the ways that they can change, but never break, over time.