A year or so in the life of the Greenspans. I believe the author wanted the story to play out just like life would, insomuch as, a lot happens but it also doesn’t. I was ok with this and the first half of the book flew by. I enjoyed the writing and contemporary setting (2014) and long chapters devoted to one characters story arc, I did come away feeling like I didn’t know any of them any better than at the start of the book though, and then I started to get bored with them all.
It’s an ok read overall but I wouldn’t go out of my way to read it

On the face of it this novel is an ordinary story about an ordinary family. It could be any of us. Nothing really exciting happens, there's no murders or car chases. However as Gideon says "It didn't feel like a novel, but it did feel like life."

The Greenspans are on the cusp of change at the start of Hope. Father Scott is balancing his mother's increasing demands on his money along with supporting his family and maintaining an open marriage. Wife Deb is juggling her new found interest in the same sex with her inability to find something to really engage her interest. Daughter Maya is struggling to find her way in the publishing world and her personal life; and son Gideon is desperate to make his father proud until he realises that sometimes parents are fallible too.

This novel really does feel like life. I felt really engaged with a family who I've nothing in common with. The writing is excellent and you're swept along with the difficulties they encounter, often of their own making - including some absolutely insane decisions.

If I have a criticism it's that there really wasn't enough of Scott's mother, Marjorie, who flits in and out of the book causing mayhem wherever she goes. Everyone should have a relative like Marjorie - I expect quite a lot of us do.

Definitely recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley and Duckworth Books for the advance review copy.

Hope is the story of multiple members of the same family. Greenspans are from Brooklyn, and they have each a distinctive personality.
Something major happens in their life which affects all of them.
I have mixed feelings about this one. The opening chapter with Scott and Marjorie was so gripping and fun, I expected the same from the rest.
Ridker’s writing shone in that chapter.
I had inconsistent impressions about rest of the novel - I enjoyed the contemporary setting, and the characters’ careers were interesting.

The book I thought I was reading at the start is not the same book it became at the end. This was a moving, introspective book that I enjoyed reading a lot. Each character within the core family had their own insight into the central storyline, I think I enjoyed Maya’s storyline the most. A great read.

I like the new cover and font for the title of Ridker's book. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC. I tried to gather more information about my previous review but it wasn't online. The book does a deep dive into relationships among a family of a certain class.