Many thanks to NetGalley and Random House | The Dial Press for gifting me a digital ARC of the latest novel by Rachel Joyce. All opinions expressed in this review are my own - 4.5 stars!
Famous artist Vic Kemp has relied on his four children since their mother died when they were young. Netta, the oldest, is a lawyer and pseudo-parent to her siblings; Susan, married with two stepchildren who cooks and cleans for both her husband and father; Goose, a wanna-be artist who is relegated to working a menial job in Vic's studio; and Iris, the baby, who will do whatever Vic asks. When Vic calls to announce he's getting remarried to a mysterious younger woman, Bella-Mae, things don't go well and he is soon found dead. The siblings gather at the house on Lake Orta to figure out what happened.
This is a multi-layered family saga that is touching, emotional, and familiar to anyone with siblings. It's a dysfunctional family, for sure, but I believe all families are dysfunctional in their own way. It explores the notion that are parents are always right and we are always destined to fit neatly in the slots allotted to us in childhood. It's a look at grief, in all its forms, and how we are always looking for answers when someone dies. The writing is wonderful and atmospheric, and draws the reader in to another world, with characters that began to feel like family.
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