A multi-generational family story in which we time hop to see the initial character-presented-as-protagonist’s family. Each chapter a different narrator and also proceeding, more-or-less, chronologically in decades from oldest to begin even the initial chapter.

This does do some things quite well. For instance, art-imitating-life-imitating-art is fairly literalized here, which is clever… but also leads to some of my largest issues with the text: Most predominately, the qualities of the prose work. It’s a one-size-fits-all that head hops and provides a really milquetoast, basic contemporary style that makes every character feel the same. Then, the dialogue actually just contributes to this factor, as everyone basically talks exactly the same their entire life, with few exceptions. And a lot of the time it is with the Queen’s English, when they’re American and it starts around the 50s, if I recall. So why is their vernacular always the same in 80 years? Why do they talk like they talk properly and also stilted?

Some of that is actually answered with a conceit of the novel, which I won’t spoil. But it doesn’t change the fact that it’s just boring to read. Verisimilitude runs deep, further compounding the choices. There are pages where a couple are just talking/arguing about what to get at the grocery store. It’s inane.

However. As the book progresses there are certainly moments that land from this kind of nested story telling. The only chapter, for me, which resonated was the eighth one. But a happy byproduct of the prose style is it also flies by. It took two sittings to complete the book. It’s breezy. I just don’t think I can escape the fact that the majority of the book, though exploring memory—and the things we happen to remember, tied up in knots with our family across time and despite physicality—is absolutely focused on, for me, completely superfluous and boring content. Regardless of the conceit I didn’t enjoy any of it until much later on. The conceit, while interesting, could have been interrogated in far better ways.

I will say that the women are written very well. A lot sort of quietly exert their agency in subtle and subversive ways. While their characters and choices felt dynamic and good, we just always get the most interesting aspects as off hand remarks, rather the heart of the actual family. It’s maddening.

This is more of a 2.5 rounded down, because it is teetering at being successful. But ultimate not, I think.