ARC gifted by the publisher

Since their parents’ accidental death, the orphaned Flattery sisters only have one another. Now in their thirties, after the oldest disappears into the Irish countryside, the four brilliant yet distant sisters scramble to reconnect.

ALTERNATIVES gave me major Booker vibes because of a couple of things:
• No quotations
• Mixed structures (some chapters written as a play)
• Literary style (I don’t think I understood everything)
• Reflective writing (one needs to read between the lines to decipher its meaning)

Among many things, ALTERNATIVES explores the idea of “care.” The four sisters show how people differ in showing love for one another; some prefer to fix a problem, while others let it be. Is there a right way to love? The readers examine how the Flatterys care for each other and how their love for Ireland—rapidly changing in political and actual climate—manifests. I suspect those with a stronger background or passion for Ireland will derive more insight from this book.

Hughes’ detailed writings can be tedious at times, and I often have to reread passages because of the style. I’m still trying to understand what it all means. Is the story about alternative paths? That we don’t have to keep doing what we’ve done? And therefore, there could still be hope—for a fractured family and a divided country.

ALTERNATIVES is a niche novel I’d recommend to lovers of Irish literature, highbrow lit fic fans, and those who aren’t afraid of a challenging read. If you’ve read it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on it!