Friday, July 15, 2022

The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz

 


Thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though there was a bit of a "slow spot" in the middle.  The characters, three (no four!) siblings are born through IVF so they are technically triplets, but their relationship to each other is strained to say the least.

This is a family story, and a story of origins, class, deceit, sexuality, tragedy, religion, and more.  Each chapter is written from a different sibling's perspective.

There are twists and turns and surprises in this novel. Her last book, "The Plot," which I did not read yet, has similar characteristics, I think. Here is a paragraph from the Washington Post that says a lot about this book and why I liked it so much:

There’s a jigsaw-puzzle thrill to Korelitz’s family epic — the way it feels like a thousand scrambled, randomly shaped events until you’ve got the edges in place, and then the picture begins to resolve with accelerating inevitability and surprise. Part farce, part revenge fantasy, the climactic scene at a triple birthday party at the Oppenheimers’ “cottage” on Martha’s Vineyard is one of the most hilarious and horrible calamities I’ve ever found in a novel.


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