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canadianbookworm's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
https://cdnbookworm.blogspot.com/2024/04/familiar.html
iceberg0's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely fascinating character study, the only flaw, and its a big one, is the ending.
kathleenww's review against another edition
An interesting premise made very personal.
sci_mom's review against another edition
4.0
This book is very thought-provoking and that is why I gave it 4 stars. However, the ending was very abrupt and I had to re-read the last several pages a couple of times before I could wrap my head around what happened. I think each reader will have to devise their own thoughts about how Elisa ended up in her second life, which life she will choose, and why.
almartin's review
3.0
Lennon is mining in the general vicinity of Tom McCarthy in Remainder, and there's a lot to chew on - perception v. reality, fate v. agency, and also just the surprising way that chance and a bunch of meaningless decisions ultimately net out to a life. negative 1 for mushy 'many worlds' coffee shop physics, and negative 1 for single-note bleakness and hostility as the default emotional canvas for pretty much every character portrayed
She has created a family of miserable liners who seem incapable of helping one another.jesus.
bunnieslikediamonds's review against another edition
4.0
I've read and enjoyed all of Lennon's novels for the past fifteen years, and I still can't quite figure out what it is that I find so appealing about them. His work is unconventional without being showy, and has grown increasingly strange in his last two novels. In an afterword to "Familiar", he describes the early draft as "restrained", "taut" and "edgy". Instead, it became a novel about the "psychological effects of parenthood".
It's a chilling account of a family that has completely malfunctioned. The parents are utterly detached from their children and each other. The underlying hostility is so disturbing and heartbreaking that I found it difficult to read at times, and had to wonder how Lennon could bear to write it. Very good, very sad. Feeling rather depressed now, comforting myself with the fact that I don't have kids.
It's a chilling account of a family that has completely malfunctioned. The parents are utterly detached from their children and each other. The underlying hostility is so disturbing and heartbreaking that I found it difficult to read at times, and had to wonder how Lennon could bear to write it. Very good, very sad. Feeling rather depressed now, comforting myself with the fact that I don't have kids.
moogen's review against another edition
2.0
The ending was so disappointing it sucked the pleasure out of the rest of the book.