Scan barcode
A review by llynn66
The Condition by Jennifer Haigh
3.0
The Condition is my first experience with Jennifer Haigh. I came very close to reading Mrs. Kimble last year, but a friend told me she was not as impressed with that title as she had anticipated. Based on The Condition, I will now probably put her other titles back on my reading list.
Although I did not find this book quite as moving as some of the readers who have posted very positive reviews, it was certainly satisfying and rather well written "family drama/soap opera" fiction. The members of the McKotch family are dysfunctional satellites revolving around Gwen, the daughter who was born with Turner's Syndrome -- a condition that prevented her from ever going through puberty and acquiring the physical characteristics of an adult woman. This rare medical condition freezes Gwen in time physically and traps her in a prepubescent body. Slowly and painfully, however, Gwen finds the strength to develop in other ways. Conversely, the rest of the family is frozen psychologically and trapped by various memories and conditions of their past.
The New England setting...so often a metaphor for uptight and upright behavior is apt. The story proceeds in an orderly form and the reader's questions are neatly resolved at the end. I generally prefer a story that is messier and more opaque. But, from time to time I am in the mood for an entertaining melodrama. The solid writing kept me interested in the trials and tribulations of the McKotches.
Although I did not find this book quite as moving as some of the readers who have posted very positive reviews, it was certainly satisfying and rather well written "family drama/soap opera" fiction. The members of the McKotch family are dysfunctional satellites revolving around Gwen, the daughter who was born with Turner's Syndrome -- a condition that prevented her from ever going through puberty and acquiring the physical characteristics of an adult woman. This rare medical condition freezes Gwen in time physically and traps her in a prepubescent body. Slowly and painfully, however, Gwen finds the strength to develop in other ways. Conversely, the rest of the family is frozen psychologically and trapped by various memories and conditions of their past.
The New England setting...so often a metaphor for uptight and upright behavior is apt. The story proceeds in an orderly form and the reader's questions are neatly resolved at the end. I generally prefer a story that is messier and more opaque. But, from time to time I am in the mood for an entertaining melodrama. The solid writing kept me interested in the trials and tribulations of the McKotches.