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mmz's review against another edition
3.0
At the beginning of this book, we meet a fairly normal-looking family starting their summer vacation at the family house on Cape Cod. At the end of the prologue, we get the inkling that something bad is going to happen to this family, and that very soon the summer house will be sold and the parents divorce.
The story then jumps about 20 years, to a time when the children are adults, and whatever happened after that summer is old news. This is a perfectly good technique if the writer is more interested in showing the long term effects of something than the immediate impact.
And it would have worked just fine in this case, except that the prologue was so short I wasn't able to develop any sympathy with the characters. Instead of getting the continuation of a story I was already invested in, I got a stub that wasn't enough to carry me though the rest of the book. But I persevered, and throughout the rest of the book, Haigh gives enough of the backstory for me to start to feel a little bit of sympathy, or at least to be a little bit interested in what happens to them.
Overall, the writing is quite fine, but the story itself winds up being a bit disappointing.
The story then jumps about 20 years, to a time when the children are adults, and whatever happened after that summer is old news. This is a perfectly good technique if the writer is more interested in showing the long term effects of something than the immediate impact.
And it would have worked just fine in this case, except that the prologue was so short I wasn't able to develop any sympathy with the characters. Instead of getting the continuation of a story I was already invested in, I got a stub that wasn't enough to carry me though the rest of the book. But I persevered, and throughout the rest of the book, Haigh gives enough of the backstory for me to start to feel a little bit of sympathy, or at least to be a little bit interested in what happens to them.
Overall, the writing is quite fine, but the story itself winds up being a bit disappointing.
carriekellenberger's review against another edition
3.0
The Condition is a beautifully written novel about a family whose daughter Gwen is diagnosed with Turner's Syndrome as a young teenager. The book begins at the family cottage during the months of summer vacation leading up to Gwen's diagnosis. At first, I thought the book was going to focus entirely on Gwen, so I was pleasantly surprised by the extent that Haigh went to in telling each family member's story. The story focuses on the mistakes, regrets and family secrets that drove them all apart, and how everyone comes to terms with the truth of their actions at the end of the novel.
jmorr290's review against another edition
2.0
THis is my first book by Jennifer Haigh and and it revolves around the highly dysfunctional McKotch family. Their only daughter is diagnosed with Turner's syndrome ("the" conditon) but it seems that each member has their own issues as well. Though well written, I found none of the characters that compelling. They are all too self- invovled. 2 and 1/2 stars
mias65's review against another edition
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
em_beddedinbooks's review against another edition
2.0
It was an okay read. The story of a slightly dysfunctional family - divorced parents, the only girl a partial Turner's, one boy gay and the other one with slight adjustment disorder. This book dealt with how a major illness or disability can affect families and cause marital discord.
rachelcoconut's review against another edition
5.0
Much better and more readable than her first two books.
susanm_82's review against another edition
4.0
I was drawn into the story and into the relationships of this one particular family and was really invested in the final outcome. The author did a good job of giving each family member their own story while weaving the whole thing around the daughters diagnosis with Turner's syndrome. Having some experience with how differently family members handle illness it all felt very believable. I'd be interested to see if her other books were equally interesting or if it was more the subject matter for me.
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eileen9311's review against another edition
4.0
Jennifer Haigh again gets many stars! Initially, I’d been apprehensive as there was a fair bit of scientific detail early on, and I’m a lazy reader. However, a friend commented that The Condition had been her favorite by this author, so I stayed the course. Just a few more pages and I was hooked! It was quite intriguing and far from predictable! Much of the story takes place on Cape Cod, in Truro. The descriptions of the historic, sprawling family home and memories of past summers, the smell of the ocean, and the exhilaration crossing the Sagamore Bridge all struck a chord. As the title promises, there was a medical condition which was crucial to the plot. However, other factors impacting family dynamics, such as self-perceptions and insecurities, remembrances and disappointments, contribute as well. The author makes it a poignantly clear how an instinctive loyalty to one’s traditions and the way a person was raised can surface repeatedly in a parent’s expectations. Another recurring theme is that the passage of time inevitably impacts the ebb and flow of family relationships.
hfrimmer's review against another edition
5.0
I love a good dysfunctional family story and this one is right up there with the best of them. I thought the story would center more on Gwen and how her diagnosis with Turner's syndrome affects her and her family, but really "the condition" of the title refers to the individual conditions of each family member. Every one of the McCotch clan is dealing with their own struggles and exorcising their own demons and the reader follows them all on their difficult journeys. I love the way Haigh uses shifting points of view to see the family from all different angles. A sad, realistic and wonderfully readable novel. Don't miss this one.