Any review of this book in my opinion , will be unable to do justice , no matter how experienced or knowledgeable the reviewer, the rare and exquisite emotion that overcomes the reader when awareness dawns with the joy of acknowledging they have been allowed to read what must surely become a masterpiece . So here goes with a brief synopsis of what must surely be inadequate in the extreme. It is never made clear until much later in the book which family member is narrating the family history. A tragic car accident; a traumatised youth. A young couple together as if in a port in a storm attempt to build a family life struggling from an anchor of apathy, unfulfilled needs and desires., and many more unsuitable reasons for hoping there will be any chance of success in this union .Unhappiness is contagious and so a multiple birth presents mixed emotions and unrealistic expectations. A family not so much at war as coldly and unemotionally removed from any warm feelings towards each other to the point of virtual withdrawal. Each of their lives, the traumas, the competitive jealousy, the drip feeding of casual cruelty , the dramas and anxieties leave few pages for any hope this epic family saga can end well. Slowly we see personalities destroyed, courage diminished, and a sense of self worthiness questioned as each member deals with the damage to self esteem in an attempt to live in their own way a happy and fulfilling life. So no spoilers allowed, but into the mix comes a hidden entity, and from an unexpected source a conclusion that defies any expectations and fulfils every promise a reader can only dream of. All three dimensional characters each with their own storyline of tragedy, hopes and dreams and disappointments written with infinite attention to detail that only a superb writer and accurate research can deliver. An honour and rewarding experience to have been given the opportunity to read this masterpiece, memories of which will linger long after the last page. Many thanks to author, publisher and NetGalley for this unforgettable ARC.

I’d describe this book as realistic fiction. The author has done an amazing job at creating imaginary characters and situations that depict the world and society. The characters focus on themes of growing, self-discovery and confronting personal and social problems. This is a first for me by the author and one I enjoyed and would read more of their work. The book cover is eye-catching and appealing and would spark my interest if in a bookshop. Thank you very much to the author, publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

I read a review elsewhere of this that described it as 'Succession meets The Goldfinch' and I'd say that's about right! I loved this family saga and the insights into the artworld. So well written.

#TheLatecomer #NetGalley
Awesome. 5 🌟
The Latecomer follows the story of the wealthy, New York City-based Oppenheimer family, from the first meeting of parents Salo and Johanna, under tragic circumstances, to their triplets born during the early days of IVF. As children, the three siblings – Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally – feel no strong familial bond and cannot wait to go their separate ways, even as their father becomes more distanced and their mother more desperate. When the triplets leave for college, Johanna, faced with being truly alone, makes the decision to have a fourth child. What role will the “latecomer” play in this fractured family?
I absolutely loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for giving me an advance copy.

I liked "The Undoing" by this author but found this tome very different in style and pace. I usually love family saga's but this one didn;t grabme.
The family are wealthy American's. The dad is distant and can't connect with people, he was the (innocent) driver in a car crash at Uni that killed his girlfriend and best friend and marries without feeling real love for his wife. They have IVF triplets and when they are ready to go off to college the wife panics and has a fourth, "Latecomer" child, changing the family dynamic. All the siblings dislike one another. The story builds at a snail's pace and then is wrapped up quickly in the last chapter. The plot meanders off at tangents that aren't. always resolved and I found the chararcters to be unineresting, wealthy, snobbish bores. Lots of "issues" are crowbarred in and the events 9/11 used as a plot device. I found it all a bit of a slog.

Personally I love a life story, even better if it’s of a whole family, so I really enjoyed this book. Other reviews have pointed out somewhat of a long-windedness, which I would agree with in part and is the reason I rate it only 4 stars.

This book certainly is a labour of love and I particularly enjoyed the backdrops and backgrounds. The storyline is very compelling, there’s something special in seeing a life unfold in hindsight and placing it in a timeline of your own lived through history. The characters are well explored, you feel connected to and invested in them and the way the story is tied up is masterful and satisfying. The psychology of this family is very complex and at first baffling but it’s revelation is another great strength of this book.

The Latecomer does remind me of one of my favourite books The Immortalists. So even if it’s slow at points, stay with it, it’s worth it and will stay with me for a while!

Hmmm. Rather a slow grind and ultimately quite a feat of human endeavour to complete this. I had devoured a few novels this year of the same genre (dysfunctional families) and expected the same here.
My first by this author, and although well-written, it was a bit impenetrable at times and might have profited from being more concise. Sorry I couldn’t give it a higher rating …

My thanks to NetGalley and Faber and Faber for granting this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this expecting more of a domestic noir/ thriller type and this was definitely not it. That's probably my bad though for not realising what it actually was. It's more character driven about a dysfunctional family and sibling relationships. It's a bit slow but it does get better if you hang in there and I was more captured towards the 2nd half. The writer has a good narration style, although the characters are all just ridiculous and a bit vile but I guess that's the point. If you want a book that is more of a sneak peak at the rich and famous then this will be perfect

The wealthy Oppenheimer family would seem to have everything, but when triplets are born after many rounds of IVF, they do not bring the happiness expected. They resist any connection to each other and ther parents and long only for escape. Just as they are about to depart for college, they receive an unwelcome surprise- a new addition to the family, a baby sister who will ultimately turn their lives around in the most unexpected ways. This is a story about a privileged yet dysfunctional family, and how their secrets and deceit stand in the way of their happiness. The characters, with the exception of the latecomer, Phoebe, are unsympathetic and largely unlikeable, at least until she grows up and works her magic, and the later section of the book in which she features brings the story to life. At several points previously I had thought about giving up, especially in the sections dealing with the obnoxious Harrison and his right-wing politics as he attends the alternative and “intellectually rigourous” college Roarke, but then the narrative would switch to Lewyn or Sally and I would become more engaged and continue. The novel is well-written and deals with some interesting topics, but overall it wasn’t my kind of read, although others will I am sure adore it.

Thank you @netgalley and to the publisher for an ARC for the Latecomer. Having liked the author's previous novels, this book was one of my most highly anticipated reads this year. I went in expecting a psychological thriller so perhaps my expectations of this book were not accurate. The first half of the book was about the wealthy Oppenheimer family. I liked the author's voice and I understood her reasoning in familiarizing the reader with the characters and also the backstories, the tragedy during college, and how that impacted their lives. However, I did find this to be slow and was skim reading parts of it. The second half of the book was a lot better! I enjoyed reading about the triplets going off to college and building their own lives. I will not stop reading Korelitz novels but this was not my favourite of hers.

I have to say I am a sucker for a family saga novel, dislikeable characters and slow burn novels. If you are like me then this is the book for you.

I really enjoyed the authors previous work, mainly The Plot and You Should Have Known, and this one delivers just as much. I am not sure if it will have the same commercial success but it definitely deserves to do so

Thanks to Netgalley and Faber and Faber for an ARC in exchange for an honest review

An absolutely superb wryly observed family saga. The well-plotted, character-driven story is all told through character perspectives and the narrative develops at a beautiful rate, with plenty of surprises and twists. The characters are all well balanced if often loathsome and the themes of race, wealth, society and family are dealt with a sly, knowing and witty hand. A wonderful exploration of a dysfunctional family and the savagery in domesticity. The best novel I've read this year.

A fascinating family saga telling the story of a family whose regular existence is fundamentally changed by the arrival of a new baby when it’s siblings are on their way to college.

The Latecomer is the story of the wealthy Oppenheimer family of Brooklyn, New York. Parents Johanna and Salo have three "triplets" via in vitro fertilization: Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally. Seventeen years later they have Phoebe, the "latecomer."

I always enjoy a sneak peek into how the "other half'" lives and this book certainly delivers on that. The Oppenheimers seemingly have it all. A brownstone in Brooklyn. A summer cottage on Martha's Vineyard. The kids attend private school and then the Ivy League. A priceless art collection.

There was some uncomfortable reading in here, for sure. For five people who are related and live under the same roof for so many years, they know very little about each other. In fact, they don't even really like each other and live very independent lives. This only goes to show that even the most privileged and educated families can be the most dysfunctional.

This family drama explores themes of race, wealth, religion, privilege, equality, sexuality, infidelity, communication, and belonging. There are no cliffhangers or twists, but the slow burn is so satisfying, and we do get a few surprises by the end.

I couldn't put this book down. I loved every page and will now be going back to read every book written by Hanff Korelitz. I can only hope there's a sequel in the works - I'd love to follow Phoebe's journey!

Thanks to the publisher and #NetGalley for an advance review copy in exchange for an honest review. #TheLatecomer

The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz is a character-driven novel about different members of a family and a particular sibling dynamic.

If you are expecting Jean Hanff Korelitz's latest novel to bear any similarities to The Plot, you are going to be doomed to disappointment. Instead, we have complex, multilayered, fascinating character studies, a slow burn of a dysfunctional American family drama. It centres on the wealthy and privileged Jewish Oppenheimers, Salo, obsessed with modern art, who experiences a tragic accident, and Johanna who meets him shortly after, determined to do everything possible to help 'heal' him, with her heart set on having a family with him. A family he shows no interest in wanting, but which Johanna is eventually able to realise through IVF treatments, with triplets Harrison, Sally and Lewyn, with a fourth embryo frozen that in later years will become the eponymous 'latecomer'.

The now college age children grow up, complacent, selfish, convinced of their own importance and worth, and crucially, feeling no connection with each other, even openly hostile and disowning each other, and there is nothing Johanna can do to change these dynamics through the years, even as she goes to some lengths to give the superficial impression of family cohesion through rituals and annual photographs displayed on the walls. To be honest, there is little about any of them that is likely to make the reader view them as likeable human beings, the family inhabit a home where they operate as separate entities. Feeling the empty nest syndrome acutely, and desperate to fill the void within her, she makes a decision to have another child by using the leftover frozen embryo, and so Phoebe is born, setting in play a path in which the entrenched dynamics and nature of the Oppenheimer family are set to unravel.

Korelitz writes a powerful, beautifully written, and well plotted story of the Oppenheimers, related through their personal perspectives, with the inclusion of some surprising and unexpected twists. She explores the themes of class, identity, race, sexuality, grief, infidelity, guilt and family through this riveting and compulsive novel, and not once did this feel like a lengthy read for me. If you are interested in character driven family drama and find exploring dysfunctional family units appealing, then I highly recommend this. Many thanks to the publisher for an ARC.