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twentysixarias's review
challenging
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Family of Origin is a really strange, beautifully written book. It's about two half siblings who go to collect their father's things at a research site. Their father is an eccentric researcher with weird opinions about evolution, and he brings the siblings together and apart, even after his death.
I just could not vibe with the characters. I did not find them to be people I wanted to follow—both seemed extremely miserable. While I didn't mind the very difficult themes (I typically find them interesting when they're done right), I couldn't really find justification for what happened in the end.
I just could not vibe with the characters. I did not find them to be people I wanted to follow—both seemed extremely miserable. While I didn't mind the very difficult themes (I typically find them interesting when they're done right), I couldn't really find justification for what happened in the end.
Spoiler
I have to agree with other reviewers that the sexual assault Elsa participated in did not seem well-handled. And I don't say this because I think it shouldn't have been written about, but because in the end... it seems like she got away with her deed and how it affected Nolan.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault and Rape
yazzzaayyyy's review
Was really expecting to love this because I loved the author’s piece in the Paris Review, The Crane’s Wife, but I found that it dragged on and with limited character growth and incest/abuse plot line was never ending with no real grace towards the reader the last bit of the book felt unreachable.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual assault
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