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edgwareviabank's review against another edition
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
3.5
All This Could Be Yours is a fairly grim read about a dysfunctional family. There isn't much redemption for the people whose lives the certified bad guy Victor Tuchman wrecked (aside from faint glimmers of it towards the end), so if you're looking for a novel with a hopeful message at the core, this may not be it. I often felt angry and sad at how characters hurt each other throughout the chapters; it would be no exaggeration to say some of the chapters dragged my mood down hours after reading them. The story of Gary and Twyla's marriage is particularly heartbreaking, because none of what happens feels inevitable, and everyone gets out of it as hurt as they can be.
I choose to embrace this novel's darkness as proof of how well written the it is: it clearly made me feel something, and it's very likely that at least part of what I felt is what the author intended to convey, given that all the characters' flaws are front and centre, and it's easy to see how lots of them stemmed from the nasty damage Victor's particular flavour of cruelty inflicted.
The book wasn't quite what I expected going in, as the summaries I'd read beforehand had given me the impression it would be plot-driven, and centred on unraveling the mystery of Victor's bad deeds. It is, in fact, very character-driven, so it may not suit readers who get impatient with delving into characters' inner lives and discussing their feelings at length. All the reasons why Victor is a terrible person become evident well before the end, but the book's focus is the way the people around him internalise and process the damage. Its consequences on Victor's wife, daughter and son's relationships with others and their own self are evident and wide-ranging, and all the characters share the struggle between the impulse to direct their anger at the past, and the desire to rebuild themselves in ways they can't quite grasp yet.
I'm a reader who very much enjoys character introspection, if done well, and Jami Attenberg's style worked for me here. I also liked the glimpses of tangential characters' lives that crop up here and there (the EMT who takes Victor to the hospital; the coroner; and others). Next to the Tuchmans' self-reflections, which rarely consider the privilege they also undeniably have, they provide a kind of balance, showing how those outside their family "bubble" perceive them in day-to-day situations.
I choose to embrace this novel's darkness as proof of how well written the it is: it clearly made me feel something, and it's very likely that at least part of what I felt is what the author intended to convey, given that all the characters' flaws are front and centre, and it's easy to see how lots of them stemmed from the nasty damage Victor's particular flavour of cruelty inflicted.
The book wasn't quite what I expected going in, as the summaries I'd read beforehand had given me the impression it would be plot-driven, and centred on unraveling the mystery of Victor's bad deeds. It is, in fact, very character-driven, so it may not suit readers who get impatient with delving into characters' inner lives and discussing their feelings at length. All the reasons why Victor is a terrible person become evident well before the end, but the book's focus is the way the people around him internalise and process the damage. Its consequences on Victor's wife, daughter and son's relationships with others and their own self are evident and wide-ranging, and all the characters share the struggle between the impulse to direct their anger at the past, and the desire to rebuild themselves in ways they can't quite grasp yet.
I'm a reader who very much enjoys character introspection, if done well, and Jami Attenberg's style worked for me here. I also liked the glimpses of tangential characters' lives that crop up here and there (the EMT who takes Victor to the hospital; the coroner; and others). Next to the Tuchmans' self-reflections, which rarely consider the privilege they also undeniably have, they provide a kind of balance, showing how those outside their family "bubble" perceive them in day-to-day situations.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Eating disorder, Fatphobia, Toxic relationship, and Infidelity
jan_coco_day's review
dark
emotional
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Infidelity, Misogyny, Toxic relationship, and Sexual content
Moderate: Body shaming, Domestic abuse, Fatphobia, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, and Alcoholism
Minor: Drug use and Eating disorder
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