Fabulous Fiction Firsts #553

Thu, 09/10/2015 - 10:20pm by muffy

Longlisted for the 2015 Man Booker Prize, Did You Ever Have a Family * * * *, the debut novel by literary agent/memoirist Bill Clegg is a powerful story about finding solace in the least likely of places in the wake of a horrific tragedy.

An early morning explosion destroyed not only her historic farm house but everyone June Reid holds dear - the daughter and her fiance who would be married that day, her ex-husband, and her much-younger boyfriend, Luke - a troubled young man who seemed to have finally found his footing in this small Connecticut community. June, being the only survivor, finds it hard to remain. Numbly, she drives across country, landing at the Moonstone motel in the Pacific Northwest.

"What follows is a propulsive but tightly crafted narrative that moves back and forth in time and from character to character as Clegg builds out his opening scene to take in those sometimes surprisingly affected, " - from the florist who finds an appropriate use of the wedding flowers; the caterer who would never be paid; Luke's mother, Lydia Morey who continues to suffer abuse from a town unable to forgive her youthful transgressions and mourns the son just reclaimed; the 16 year-old pothead who knows more about the fire than he is willing to admit; to the owners of the Moonstone Motel who patiently reach out to June yet giving her space, sensing that she is "the most alone person... half in the world and half out of it."

"Elegant and heartrending, ...Did You Ever Have a Family is an absorbing, unforgettable tale that reveals humanity at its best through forgiveness and hope. At its core is a celebration of family - the ones we are born with and the ones we create." A particularly sober reminder "that we live to love and be loved, and that we should tell each other so before the moment slips away." Suggested readalikes: Thomas Matthew's We Are Not Ourselves (2014), and Red Hook Road (2010) by Ayelet Waldman.

Readers of Anne Enright and Michael Cunningham would not want to miss this.

Listen to a The New York Times podcast with Bill Clegg discussing this novel and the origin of the title.

* * * * = 4 starred reviews