A book I just did not click with and I'm not sure why. It has all the markers of a book I should love. It's not you, it's me.

This novel was big on characterization but short on plot. I was too bored to go beyond some 50 odd pages. Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC. Apologies for my lack of interest.

I'm of at least two minds about this book, which is fitting because it has many, many characters steering it.
On one hand, or mind (if we want to keep the metaphor consistent), the language of this book is extremely lyrical and precise-- and, to my Midwestern American sensibility, true to the place. There are all of the trappings of small-town Kansas here, including macaroni salad, coffee cans composters, and addictions, hidden or otherwise.
On the other hand/mind, the narration of the book in the omniscient perspective constantly drew attention to itself and, thus, drew me out of the story. The author switched between character views many times on some pages, sometimes within the same paragraph. I often felt disjointed or dragged about while reading.
On a third hand that I've somehow sprouted, these characters feel real, as real as the place. I understand the desperation of Hattie to keep it all together and Doro to rise above it all.
Finally, however, the plot didn't engage me. Other readers will, no doubt, have other opinions on this point.
Over all, a read in line with THE CORRECTIONS-- heavy lyricism, heavy family drama, some surprisingly comic moments, but not for everyone.

There was much i liked about this book - the well-developed and realistic characters, the pacing, - the way the narrative would focus in for a detailed look at a day or week, then pan out to skip several weeks or months, then refocus on a single event or situation - and how the POV would alternate among the characters without a tight schedule of whose "turn" it was to voice a chapter or segment. The only thing I felt was lacking was a message, or a conclusion to the themes that were developed throughout. I sort of don't know what to think about what I just read. Maybe that's the point.

Oh, family, how I love thee, how I hate thee. THE EXACT NATURE OF OUR WRONGS is an intimate view of how we are shaped by family dysfunction. Filled with complex, deeply flawed, but still likeable characters, Peery gives us a story that will make us reflect on our own families - for better or worse. Peery has a keen ear for dialogue and a great sense of place; she is an excellent writer and I look forward to reading more of her work. Recommended for fans of Jonathan Franzen.

I'm sorry, but i cannot review this book as I only read about a third of it and decided that I just didn't want to read anymore about this troubled family.

A complex emotional roller coaster of a book.

Starting this book took quite a while for me. I couldn't connect with the characters at first but ended up totally enthralled by this family. Hattie and Abel are so real that your heart breaks for them. Clairbell is the absolute worst.

Most of us have family members like these and the characters will seem familiar in some way or another. The depth of writing here is just phenomenal. My favorite scene was that of Abel and his nurse (Jenny) staying up all night talking and connecting on a complex level. It was a short scene but in my opinion one of the most touching scenes.

This is not a feel good book, it is a book about real human emotions of all kinds. Good, bad, terrible, sad, angry, loving, hating, vengeance. Everything is included here for the price of one book.

I love novels based around family dynamics and this one looked like it would fit that bill. The description said the story was written "with knowing humor and sure-handed storytelling." I didn't see it. The characters are all very dark, very self obsessed and very unlikable. I disliked all of them. While they are well developed, the story as a whole just didn't speak to me at all. I picked it up and put it down several times hoping that my mood would better fit and I would begin to enjoy the story. But it just never improved for me.

This is the kind of book that grabs your heart and keeps you reading late into the night. In a small rural town, the story opens with the matriarch relating their families fall from grace as one after another of her children defy their bright beginning and land in lives littered with loneliness, disgrace, addiction, and unconventional romantic relationships. At the head of this household is Abel, father, husband, lawyer, and mini-dictator. How this family, gathered together for a birthday celebration of their aging and ailing patriarch, finds peace and forgiveness is what makes this story so spellbinding.

This book was offered as a NetGalley digital ARC in return for a fair and honest review.

A family story is never straight forward. This one has more than its fair share of difficult characters. From an AIDS affected younger son, to those who have been indicted for drunk driving, for siblings to whom popping drugs - of any kind is just a day to day "harmless" occupation, Hattie and Abel find themselves perplexed at what they have produced!

Hattie is a woman who is willing to believe the best in everyone and this particularly applies to her family. While everyone knows that Billy is robbing her blind, she pretends that this does not happen but that he is just taken advantage of by all and sundry (not the other way around). She tries to excuse shortfalls in all her children and blindly follows her husband's orders, despite hidden resentments surfacing on and off. These resentments at his high handedness are pushed deep within her mind and she conveniently forgets them until the next time.

Abel on the other hand is aging, with an onset of dementia (?) but is unwilling to accede to any what he sees as weakness on his part to give control of any part of his life to his family. He wants to be the autocrat till the end and greatly succeeds in doing this, despite resentment from all.

This is the background to the story and naturally its ups and downs makes for a good story. Children in their middle age squabbling is ugly, squabbling over stuff which they hope to inherit is even worse but these are facts of life - evident in life around us and this author has descriptively detailed everything out - the good, the bad and the ugly.

Goodreads review up on 28/6/2017. Amazon not permitting reviews as yet. Review on my blog on 23/7/2017

I liked the first two chapters of this book but it was downhill for me after that. The five surviving, middle aged children of Hattie and Abel were so full of grudges against each other and their father that I just didn't care to read about them any more and stopped at the 30% point. Abel was a stern, demanding perfectionist who expected his children to achieve his high level of accomplishment. They all failed to one degree or another and most wasted a lot of time to substance abuse. Hattie was an enabler and I felt sorry for her. None of the children were interesting enough or tragic enough to keep me reading. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.

I could not get into this book. I found the characters uninteresting. Read the first few chapters and then gave up.

I chose this book based on the cover. It reminded me of an Ann Patchet book I read. It is, however, very different. I couldn't really get into the characters - I just didn't connect.