A review by susanscribs
The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit

2.0

This book would have been much more satisfying if it didn't try to pass itself off as a novel. As a piece of non-fiction it is interesting, especially if you have little knowledge about the role of Los Alamos in the history of the Manhattan Project. Educating today's readers about the lives of the women who uprooted themselves so their husbands could work on the top-secret project was a worthwhile endeavor. But the first person plural narrator made it impossible to know or care about individual characters, especially when the author tries to be universal, e.g. "we were from the city, or we were from the country, or we were from Europe." (I'm paraphrasing.)

Fortunately it was a short, quick read, and it did inspire me to want to learn more about this unique piece of history. But as a novel, it fell far short of my expectations.

For an example of first person plural narrative done well, check out Then We Came To the End by Joshua Ferris, which makes the reader feel part of the "we" of the corporation while also creating fully realized individual characters.