I can't quite remember what compelled me to pick up this book. It wasn't the cover (so-so) and I know for sure it wasn't the title (if I hear #blessed one more time, I might vomit for real), so I'm assuming that it must have been a Goodreads recommendation based on another book I enjoyed. Whatever led me to this book, I'm grateful it did because The Blessings is one of my favourite types of fiction: a multi-generational drama. While there's not always a lot of flash and sizzle with this genre, it consistently shows that every family has their own catastrophe (or series of catastrophes if they're really unfortunate - or just normal...) which either pulls the family closer together or tears them apart.
The Blessings are a large, close-knit family. They are constantly gathering not only to celebrate or mourn, but simply because it's a way of life for them. They lean on each other in different ways on a near-daily basis. Anyone who marries into this family knows what to expect so, depending on their personality, they either tend to join in or quietly simmer away, putting up with their big clan of in-laws.
Each chapter of this novel is written from the point of view of the individual members of this family. Most detail a major obstacle they are trying to overcome and show how different family members empathize with them, seek to help them or are left in the dark, depending on their dynamic. They are written in such a way that I felt an entire book could have sprung forth from each character's standpoint. As as each chapter came to a close, I wanted to find out more. Fortunately, in most cases, as the chapters move onto other family members, time passes and the years go by, we find out further nuggets of information about previous family members we've read about and how things turned out for them.
I think the character, Elena, sums this book up best as she's describing a school project: "The subject is my family, mostly. It's about these contradictions - the dualities of family life...having this identity as part of a big family but also this part of yourself that's separate, dealing with your own private stuff, that they never really know. Or dealing with the same stuff, just differently."
It's about what family members choose to share, what they keep to themselves, how they support each other, grieve together, celebrate, suffer and mourn. What draws them closer, what shatters them. It's about how love and unique bonds are the central core of a family and how everything radiates outwards from home.
Book cover rating: 2/5
0 comments:
Post a Comment