When I first finished reading this debut novel this afternoon, my first inclination was to give it 4 stars. I mean, it kind of held my attention and it took place in New York City and it was a quick read. Then I realized those aren't reasons to give a book 4 stars.
The book was published with great acclaim. A terrific debut novel about a dysfunctional New York family. (Don't people from outside of NYC think that most families in New York are dysfunctional? Okay... don't answer that.)
The more I thought about the book, the more I reconsidered my 4 stars rating. Within an hour, I'd revised my rating down to 3 stars.
What did I like about the book? Well, yes, I loved that it took place in New York City with a lot of the story taking place in Brooklyn. Brooklyn is hot. Why shouldn't a new book take place there?
What else did I like? I liked the language that Ms. Sweeney used. She did a great job painting pictures with her words. Her descriptions of places allowed me to picture them in my mind. Her descriptions of people, not so much so.
I also liked the way she juggled plots and subplots. At first I found it overwhelming to keep all the stories and interactions straight. But once I was able to do that, I really did marvel at how many balls she had in the air at the same time. There was the main sibling story, the different relationship stories - old lovers, gay lovers, sisters, business partners... just to name a few. As each story ball was thrown into the air, I was jolted a bit, surprised... like... wow... another subplot. For me, that worked.
I also liked the way the author linked the stories of the various characters together. The girl who was involved with The Nest not being what the siblings always planned on it being becomes connected with the tenant in Stephanie's house. Stephanie who was Bea's first literary agent and Leo's current lover.
I was surprised by a 9-11 related story. Living in the NYC area during 9-11, that story struck a chord with me. I also double-checked. And when the towers collapsed, there really were sculptures by Rodin missing... including The Kiss... which has a pretty prominent role in this novel.
I liked the premise of the book. The splitting up of an inheritance amongst 4 siblings. (I'm still going through the settling of my parents' estates.)
That's what I liked. What didn't I like?
I didn't like the characters. None of them. Not a single one. The Plumb siblings were horrid, each one worse than the next. I don't think a single one of them was anyone that I'd want to know. (And thankfully in real life I don't believe I do know anyone like any of them.) The mother, Francie, who was thrown into the story at random times and seemed truly awful was never mentioned by the siblings. How can that be? Do none of them besides the youngest, Melody, have any inkling that their mother really damaged them?
Even though the father (who left the legacy of The Nest to his children to inherit on the 40th birthday of the youngest child) was a successful businessman, I never got the impression that the family was raised with any great wealth. The Nest wasn't that large (I don't think) when the father first died. But it was invested well and grew to a vast sum in the ensuing years. Then the kids counted their chickens before they hatched. They spent the money they imagined they'd be getting.
There was a divorced charismatic sibling. There was a gay married sibling. There was a "smart" single sibling. And there was a miserably married sibling. I guess stereotypes work in novels about dysfunctional families.
... and everyone but Leo lived happily ever after. Well, maybe Leo lived happily ever after, too. But the rest of the characters and their relationships ended up tied up in an unrealistic, tidy way. I'm not sure I like that.
At the end of the story when Melody is asked if she likes her daughter Nora's friend, Simone, her answer makes it sound as if she thinks Simone might be okay. As a character, I didn't like Simone. And as a mother, I really wouldn't like her as a friend for my daughter. And not for the reasons you might think. I just didn't like her. And where the heck were her parents?
It's harder to list the things I didn't like about the book without giving away some of the story than I thought it would be.
Would I recommend it? Probably not. But if you like books set in New York City about 40-somethings living beyond their means, you might enjoy this book.
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