The Misfortunes of Family by Meg Little Reilly

☆☆☆
ebook, 400 pages
Expected publication: February 4th 2020 by HARLEQUIN - MIRA
About the Book:
JJ, Spenser, Charlie and Philip, the four adult sons of retired Senator John Bright, dutifully head with their partners to the lake house for their annual family reunion. The Brights are the picture of perfectness, a family of outsize pride—fun, attractive, competitive and a bit terrible… They have everything they need, except the ability to see themselves clearly. This year the senator has agreed to let a producer film them for a documentary. Naturally, they let their guard down—each adrift in his own way. Petty jealousies surface amid the joys of summer. Philip, the youngest and least like his siblings, announces an unconventional decision and earns the ribbing—or is it scorn—of his brothers. The senator toys with another political run. But not everyone wants in this time. So one by one, family secrets start to come out…and keep coming. It becomes apparent that, despite their affection for one another, it is time for this big, dysfunctional family to redefine what it means to be a Bright.

This is a book about the power of family and the power of home. The author successfully draws you into this proud family and community but once there, I realized that it wasn’t a place I wanted to stay. The writing is very well done but almost every emotion seemed subdued or dull, as if the characters were forbidden to feel. Family, love, devotion, and even anger through most of the book was understated. I didn’t find a single character that I cared about, not even the documentary maker who played a prominent part in this story.

I find this novel a bit difficult to rate, as I found it uneven. The first half was often boring yet I enjoyed the cadence of this book and the methodology of presenting the story from the various character perspectives. While not a bad book, I kept turning pages while expecting an explosive climax and when it finally came, I was kind of disappointed.

Thank you NetGalley, Meg Little Reilly and HARLEQUIN - MIRA for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an impartial review; all opinions are my own.

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