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taylorgingrichbooks's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
lilcoop71's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 but rounding down. I just couldn’t really bring myself to care about these characters.
cmcoppedge's review against another edition
emotional
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
margaretpottah's review against another edition
3.0
Recently divorced sisters move in together and reckon with their childhood, the loss of their third sister, their mother’s perceived lack of interest, and their loud upstairs neighbors. This book looks seriously at childhood experiences- not just how they affect us as adults, but the soft and complete devastation of shame, a temper tantrum, or being forgotten. The relationship between all three sisters is the heart of the book, and feels authentic.
The book also tried to play with form- one of the sisters secretly turns posts from a Nextdoor-type app into poems. I did not find that this added anything to the book.
I appreciate that this book handles the complicated subject of disability, and how the care for and loss of a child with a disability can affect a family. I wish more was done to center Eleanor in this discussion. It’s not lost on me that many of the characters dealt with their own disabilities or differences. Some of these disabilities were temporary and some had a smaller impact, but each was made to feel like the world around them wasn’t built for their body. That was clever, and the part of this book I liked the most.
Thank you to Net Galley and Ecco for the digital ARC!
The book also tried to play with form- one of the sisters secretly turns posts from a Nextdoor-type app into poems. I did not find that this added anything to the book.
I appreciate that this book handles the complicated subject of disability, and how the care for and loss of a child with a disability can affect a family. I wish more was done to center Eleanor in this discussion. It’s not lost on me that many of the characters dealt with their own disabilities or differences. Some of these disabilities were temporary and some had a smaller impact, but each was made to feel like the world around them wasn’t built for their body. That was clever, and the part of this book I liked the most.
Thank you to Net Galley and Ecco for the digital ARC!
cecile's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
pammoore's review against another edition
5.0
I think I liked it even better than Separation Anxiety- which is to say, I LOVED it
amr316's review against another edition
4.0
Rounded up from 3.5 stars. This is a slow burn character study in the truest sense. Much of the middle felt like it dragged, and the climax felt a little anticlimactic, but then again this was never meant to be plot-driven in the first place.
No one in this book is really likable. The narrator, Joyce, is a 50something recent divorcee who invites her also-recently-divorced older sister Lydia to live with her. The two are functionally estranged and both deeply frustrating in different ways. A hippie yoga couple moves in upstairs, infuriating Joyce in a way that felt both claustrophobic and disproportionate. There’s also a smattering of weird second person POV and poems made from the equivalent of NextDoor posts. Neither do much to advance the plot but do lend credence to the very specific subculture of wealthy liberal New Englanders.
I deeply understand the cultural context of this book - an upper middle class Jewish family, complete with religious school and generational trauma, is my story too. But the author’s exploration of how a sibling’s disability affects the entire family unit feels new and like it should be discussed more frequently in the world of disability justice. I wished she’d spent more time exploring Louise’s relationship with Eleanor - and, by extension, the rest of the family - rather than narrating the humdrum daily lives of the sisters in present day. I also think Lydia’s perspective would’ve added significant depth.
Execution-wise, this is probably three stars, but it covers new and important ground and is thus bumped up.
No one in this book is really likable. The narrator, Joyce, is a 50something recent divorcee who invites her also-recently-divorced older sister Lydia to live with her. The two are functionally estranged and both deeply frustrating in different ways. A hippie yoga couple moves in upstairs, infuriating Joyce in a way that felt both claustrophobic and disproportionate. There’s also a smattering of weird second person POV and poems made from the equivalent of NextDoor posts. Neither do much to advance the plot but do lend credence to the very specific subculture of wealthy liberal New Englanders.
I deeply understand the cultural context of this book - an upper middle class Jewish family, complete with religious school and generational trauma, is my story too. But the author’s exploration of how a sibling’s disability affects the entire family unit feels new and like it should be discussed more frequently in the world of disability justice. I wished she’d spent more time exploring Louise’s relationship with Eleanor - and, by extension, the rest of the family - rather than narrating the humdrum daily lives of the sisters in present day. I also think Lydia’s perspective would’ve added significant depth.
Execution-wise, this is probably three stars, but it covers new and important ground and is thus bumped up.
bibliobethica's review against another edition
4.0
Yes, this is a story of two sisters and their tremulous relationship. Yes, it about how they felt when their mom put their disabled younger sister's needs ahead of everyone else, and, yes, it's about dealing with life after a divorce; however, my favorite part was the Small World chat line and the satirical way Joyce handled each tidbit.
rstafeil's review against another edition
3.0
I wanted to love this book, but it was just ok. I saw the author at a book festival and she was so funny and had great stories. However, I just didn't love the book. Neither of the characters was particularly likable and I just wanted to yell at them to say what they are feeling.