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A review by bethreadsandnaps
We Only Know So Much by Elizabeth Crane
3.0
3.75 stars
Four generations of family under the same roof, this novel is full of unique and rich characters. As for plot, there is very little. As I've said before, I don't necessarily need plot in the novels I read, but I realize there are some that NEED plot.
The zany characters are more different than alike, each on a personal plight. It makes one think that if they only combined forces, they would be so more powerful, but alas they remain more or less fractured for the whole novel.
I suppose reading this novel is like watching Hoarders. You're fascinated about learning the "how" these people ended up so messed up, and on the other hand feel slightly better about yourself for not being quite as crazy as them.
There were two points that I take issue with:
1. The mother Jean was fairly with it, so I contend that, unlike in the novel, she would not confess to her affair (and the details) to her 9 year old son. I'm a flaky kind of mom, and I inadvertently say little things to my daughter that I probably shouldn't. But even as flaky as I am, I wouldn't talk about intimate details of my life with her.
2. The way the character Gordon is written is far less functional than he's portrayed. He can hold down a job with an assistant (details about his job are fuzzy though), but yet he's accused of being an obsessive stalker and is a walking (Asperger-y) Wikipedia. One wonders HOW he can keep a job and what precisely he does all day. I kind of liked the (possibly unintended?) homage to a character in Californication.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and would love to read more by this author.
Four generations of family under the same roof, this novel is full of unique and rich characters. As for plot, there is very little. As I've said before, I don't necessarily need plot in the novels I read, but I realize there are some that NEED plot.
The zany characters are more different than alike, each on a personal plight. It makes one think that if they only combined forces, they would be so more powerful, but alas they remain more or less fractured for the whole novel.
I suppose reading this novel is like watching Hoarders. You're fascinated about learning the "how" these people ended up so messed up, and on the other hand feel slightly better about yourself for not being quite as crazy as them.
There were two points that I take issue with:
1. The mother Jean was fairly with it, so I contend that, unlike in the novel, she would not confess to her affair (and the details) to her 9 year old son. I'm a flaky kind of mom, and I inadvertently say little things to my daughter that I probably shouldn't. But even as flaky as I am, I wouldn't talk about intimate details of my life with her.
2. The way the character Gordon is written is far less functional than he's portrayed. He can hold down a job with an assistant (details about his job are fuzzy though), but yet he's accused of being an obsessive stalker and is a walking (Asperger-y) Wikipedia. One wonders HOW he can keep a job and what precisely he does all day. I kind of liked the (possibly unintended?) homage to a character in Californication.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novel and would love to read more by this author.