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mdavis26's review
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Classism, Death of parent, Incest, Suicidal thoughts, Fatphobia, Misogyny, Infidelity, Mental illness, Abandonment, and Alcoholism
taylorfield's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Long Story Short: Told through five perspectives, a complicated family spends the spring and summer of 2016 planning a 70th birthday party for their patriarch, Adam Gardner. As Adam focuses on one last discovery to cap off his career as an oceanographer, his children, Ken and Abby, work on birthday gifts for their father, his daughter-in-law, Jenny, plans the event, and a newcomer, Steph, works her way into the group.
Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs. Darcy), a go-to when I'm in need of a recommendation, named this one of her favorite audiobooks of 2023, so I'm disappointed to say I was not impressed. I don't rate books lower because of unlikable characters, but to review this without mentioning how absolutely insufferable the characters are would be an injustice. The novel starts with Adam - unreliable narrator at best, chauvinistic and pretentious Boomer at worst. Then there's Ken, the "rich, white man with anger issues and political aspirations" trope. Abby is the opposite side of the spectrum but no better, as she stands on her feminist soapbox while simultaneously sleeping with another woman's husband (her non-belief in marriage/"traditional relationships" is the reason they aren't together, of course). Jenny was a rebel in college but vowed to be the submissive good girl when her mother died. Finally there's Steph, who may be the only redeeming main character of the bunch (possibly because she's the only one with a real problem, but I digress), yet is still somehow a stereotype. Every character is a caricature, including the secondary players. Steph's wife doesn't say anything that isn't about astrology. Tessa (one of Ken and Jenny's twins), is a brazen tomboy, while her sister Franny is more "developed" and ladylike. David only cares about sex; Jenny's dad only cares about money. George, the only overweight character, is constantly described by what he's eating and what crumbs are on his belly. Even in the out-of-character moments - Ken caring about beach erosion, for example - the conclusion finds its way back to the trope - e.g. Ken screaming at a tourist couple because he "owns the beach" and thinks he's better than them.
Character flaws aside, this novel is aggressively 2016. The Clinton v Trump presidential election starts as a talking point for the men to mention their hatred of women (both Adam and Ken would prefer Bernie Sanders despite not appearing to have any of the same ideals as the failed candidate). Focus on the election reaches a crescendo by the final meeting of the characters - a new family member's birth is scheduled early so that it will occur on election day. Peppered throughout are the smaller pop culture references, like the paraphrased, "Ew, anything but Taylor Swift," comment from one of the twins (probably Tessa). Considering the summer of 2016 is when #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty was trending, this seemingly throwaway line would have been incredibly relevant at the time. That a group of women-supporting-women characters would not support Taylor Swift while singing the praises of Hilary Clinton is an odd choice, especially since any pop star could have been used in place of Swift. The author's forceful nature to Make Sure You Know This Is 2016 is overdone in these and other moments.
All the while, what you really need to know as a reader is left to vague acknowledgments and fade-to-black scenes that reveal nothing and leave everything to the imagination. No one comes out of the other side having resolved anything, nor have they really tried. I can concede this is the nature of life, but what a cop out for a novel that supposedly "simmers with tension as secrets explode out into the open."
One final grievance (though I have many more): Tessa and Franny are not written like 12-year-olds. If there wasn't constant mention of their age, you'd think they were closer to 14/15.
Enjoyment: 2/5
Craft: 3/5
Overall: 2.5/5
Anne Bogel (Modern Mrs. Darcy), a go-to when I'm in need of a recommendation, named this one of her favorite audiobooks of 2023, so I'm disappointed to say I was not impressed. I don't rate books lower because of unlikable characters, but to review this without mentioning how absolutely insufferable the characters are would be an injustice. The novel starts with Adam - unreliable narrator at best, chauvinistic and pretentious Boomer at worst. Then there's Ken, the "rich, white man with anger issues and political aspirations" trope. Abby is the opposite side of the spectrum but no better, as she stands on her feminist soapbox while simultaneously sleeping with another woman's husband (her non-belief in marriage/"traditional relationships" is the reason they aren't together, of course). Jenny was a rebel in college but vowed to be the submissive good girl when her mother died. Finally there's Steph, who may be the only redeeming main character of the bunch (possibly because she's the only one with a real problem, but I digress), yet is still somehow a stereotype. Every character is a caricature, including the secondary players. Steph's wife doesn't say anything that isn't about astrology. Tessa (one of Ken and Jenny's twins), is a brazen tomboy, while her sister Franny is more "developed" and ladylike. David only cares about sex; Jenny's dad only cares about money. George, the only overweight character, is constantly described by what he's eating and what crumbs are on his belly. Even in the out-of-character moments - Ken caring about beach erosion, for example - the conclusion finds its way back to the trope - e.g. Ken screaming at a tourist couple because he "owns the beach" and thinks he's better than them.
Character flaws aside, this novel is aggressively 2016. The Clinton v Trump presidential election starts as a talking point for the men to mention their hatred of women (both Adam and Ken would prefer Bernie Sanders despite not appearing to have any of the same ideals as the failed candidate). Focus on the election reaches a crescendo by the final meeting of the characters - a new family member's birth is scheduled early so that it will occur on election day. Peppered throughout are the smaller pop culture references, like the paraphrased, "Ew, anything but Taylor Swift," comment from one of the twins (probably Tessa). Considering the summer of 2016 is when #TaylorSwiftIsOverParty was trending, this seemingly throwaway line would have been incredibly relevant at the time. That a group of women-supporting-women characters would not support Taylor Swift while singing the praises of Hilary Clinton is an odd choice, especially since any pop star could have been used in place of Swift. The author's forceful nature to Make Sure You Know This Is 2016 is overdone in these and other moments.
All the while, what you really need to know as a reader is left to vague acknowledgments and fade-to-black scenes that reveal nothing and leave everything to the imagination. No one comes out of the other side having resolved anything, nor have they really tried. I can concede this is the nature of life, but what a cop out for a novel that supposedly "simmers with tension as secrets explode out into the open."
One final grievance (though I have many more): Tessa and Franny are not written like 12-year-olds. If there wasn't constant mention of their age, you'd think they were closer to 14/15.
Enjoyment: 2/5
Craft: 3/5
Overall: 2.5/5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Alcoholism, Classism, Death of parent, and Mental illness
Child-on-child sexual abuse
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