I was provided an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This book was amazingly well-written. The author did such an incredible job of providing the points of view of all of the family members. This incredibly sad and achingly beautiful story of the power love that a family has for each other, the ultimate loss and survival is centered around Margaret, her husband John and their 3 children Michael, Celia and Alec.

Well after Margaret and John begin dating she discovers that he suffers from mental illness. Maragret must make a decison of whether or not to marry John knowing that this may affect their life together. Once their son Michael it becomes clear as he grows up that he suffers from a similar fate as his father. After the family suffers an unspeakable tragedy they must find a way to put the pieces back together although many years later unbeknownst to them history will repeat itself and threaten the tentative peace that the family has managed to find. Maragret who has every right to fall apart stays strong for her family even though they can't see or understand what it is costing her, Celia closes herself off, Alec feels the need to always be in control and everyone must always drop everything to take care of Michael.

This is a family that despite all that has happened to them share an unbreakable bond and such powerful love for each other. You can just feel the joy, the love and the pain screaming at you from the pages of this story. While this was not an easy read I definitely recommend it.

A meandering, 1960s-present set story about a family grappling with mental illness. Cleverly written multiple POVs make for a novel that is both melancholy and humorous. For readers of Commonwealth by Ann Patchett.

This book starts with a bang — dropping you into the middle of the action without any information and then leaving you the balance of the book to put the facts together. Kind of like waiting for the other shoe to drop. Not entirely a pleasant feeling, but a compelling device.

From the very beginning, most of the characters are in untenable positions, with their lives spinning ever more deeply out of control. This is not the story of a dysfunctional family, but of a family unable to function at all, as father, and later son, face a crippling mental illness. For me, it was difficult because at times I expected some of the characters to make better decisions; but this would have meant making them based on hard facts rather than heart. Obviously, this was not a light read, though there were some lighter moments; Haslett’s writing is lyrical and elegant, and his character’s fierce love of music is conveyed with loving detail. This book was painful at times to read, but it was, nonetheless, a deeply moving story.



For Goodreads:

Why I picked it – It had some critical hype, and the author is well-regarded
Reminded me of… The music theme reminded me of a hyper-obsessed High Fidelity, by Nick Hornby. The family dynamic dealing with mental illness reminded me a little of Vanessa and Her Sister, by Priya Parmar.
For my full review – click here