A sweeping family saga, The Latecomer introduces us to the Oppenheimer family, a wealthy Jewish family whose IVF journey leaves them with a set of triplets and a late bonus sibling thanks to one embryo left on ice for 18 years.

This book reminded me of a Wes Anderson movie, full of quirky characters, a dysfunctional family and narrated like a children’s story. The main characteristic of all the Oppenheimers is their coldness and lack of familial affection, so I struggled, in the beginning, to connect to any of the characters. However, as the story went on and each character developed, I found myself deeply fascinated with each of them until I had sped through the second half because I couldn’t put it down.

If you enjoy long stories about complex relationships, it doesn’t get much better than this.

This is an incredibly slow-moving story. I could tell that there was going to be something complex within the story from the way that it started, but there was not enough early action to make me want to stick around for the climax of the plot. I found it difficult to connect to the characters and the story, and there was nothing that pulled me in to make me want to read beyond the second chapter.

I didnt finish this book because the story didnt really draw me in. It is beautifully written, I just personally didnt connect with the story or characters.

I had the misfortune of selecting to read two long books about dysfunctional families, filled with selfish people and religious undertones, at the same time, and The Latecomer was one of them. For people who love these kind of books that may be okay, but I'm better off consuming in small doses, otherwise the horribleness of the characters tends to get exacerbated for me. Such is the case with The Latecomer. The story centers around a couple that come together more out of convenience than anything else. Salo was never paid much attention as a child, and a deadly accident as a college student makes it even harder to snap him out of his own world. Joanna, meanwhile, is overlooked in a crew of siblings where one is an overachiever and the other an adored miscreant. She meets Salo under less than ideal circumstances and when the two marry, she becomes determined to have a brood of her own. When it finally happens via IVF she has triplets - who have no more interest in each other than their parents. Salo has checked out, obsessed with artwork and the affair he's been having for years. Joanna is overbearing. Harrison is a pretentious jerk (and I use jerk because more accurate descriptions would involve language less fit to print), Sally is disengaged and willing to wreck anything that gets in the way of her life, and Lewyn is insecure and overemotional. Needless to say, if you put all of these people in a room together, or heck, even two of them, things are bound to go badly. If you survive 350 pages of this, things do implode to disastrous effect. If you have in fact made it this far, you might finally start enjoying the story because Phoebe (the latecoming leftover cytoblast from the IVF experiment), who has not had the benefit of a family unit like her older siblings, decides that the one thing that is most important to her is to try and undo all the damage the rest of her family has done to each other over the years. This part is well done - Korelitz never makes Phoebe into a miracle worker, or an overly upbeat Suzie Sunshine. Phoebe plods away, hears things she doesn't want to hear, but in a simple, practical way browbeats her more closeminded family members into owning up to their mistakes and finding points where they can relate to each other. Unfortunately this feels like a small part of the overall story, and if I hadn't been reading for review I may not have managed to make it this far in the book to enjoy it. A copy of this book was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Thank you to Celadon Books and NetGalley for granting me access to this title in exchange for my honest review. What a lavish novel! This book follows a wealthy Jewish family based in NYC - there are triplets thanks to successful IVF and then a fourth child comes into the picture later. This title follows this family from the parent’s childhood onward.

I worry that some will try to say this book is “slow”. There were incredibly long sentences and chapters, but I felt like every word had a purpose. If you are someone who likes a fast-paced developing story, this is not for you. For me in particular, I love books like this and it is so hard to find an author who can do this well. I appreciated the many themes of wealth, class, and race in this book. I also loved the author’s satire and dry humor throughout the novel. I look forward to more from this author!

Richly populated, richly plotted, just rich all around. Every time I thought of laying this aside since it was taking so long to read, something would happen that would grab my interest, and I was glad to finish it. The details have been combed in other opinions, so I'll just say it's immersive if a tad bloated.

I really liked the other book by this author, The Plot, but in comparison this book was extremely boring, slow, and long. There's just so much filler and characters going on long rants that don't even hold any meaning to the actual plot. I skimmed through half this book. We don't even really hear from the actual latecomer until like 70% into the book. However, this book had amazing representations of different religions(so much Jewish representation!!), races, sexualities, and more. I'd recommend giving it a try if you liked the plot, but overall this didn't feel worth the read to me!

The Latecomer is a slow burn tale about a wealthy Jewish family, specifically the three triplet siblings. Their father, Salo, has experienced early an early tragedy, which shapes the course of his life and his future wife. Each chapter in this book focuses on a family member. There is quite a lot of history to the Oppenheimer family. The ¨Latecomer¨ blooms from a 4th child born via surrogate, Phoebe. This book was a very slow go until Phoebe began to tell her story later in the book, I became instantly hooked. It is Phoebe who pulls this dysfunctional family together. Or rather exposes them.
This story is centered around so many themes: family drama, guilt, grief, class and race. While it is a slower read, it is a beautifully crafted tale, with very dry humor and enthralling family dynamics.

Huge thanks to NetGalley, Celadon Publishers and the author for this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Latecomer is the new novel from Jean Haniff Korelitz. It is a big departure from her most recent story, The Plot. Not necessarily a bad thing...but very different. At 448 pages, you know you are in for a story of a story!

In this novel, we follow the ultra wealthy lives of the Oppenheimers in NYC. Salo and Johanna first meet at a funeral following a tragedy and many years later have triplets via In vitro fertilization. The triplets do not bond to each other or to their parent and Salo from the get go, seems to be seeking a connection outside of the home. It's Johanna greatest wish to have them connect with her and with one another. After the triplets rush off from each other to college, Johanna makes a very desperate decision to complete the birth of the last egg. This LATECOMER will change the course of the entire family!

This is a slow burn character study of a very dysfunctional family. The drama builds, and big topics such as wealth, race, class, and age are discussed. I can honestly say I was invested in the lives of this fictional family by the end! If you like multigenerational dramas, sprawling contemporary stories, big topics such as connection and family, then this novel is for you ! #THeLatecomer
#celedon #netgalley

Thank you to Celadon books for access to this ARC!

This book was very interesting. It is a departure from what I usually read and was a slow, very character driven book. The first segment of the book focuses on the parents of this dysfunctional family, the middle of the book is about the triplets, and the end focuses on "the latecomer."

I found the parents and the triplets difficult to connect to and relate to most of the way through. The triplets are very unlikeable and this wore on me at some parts. I think the middle section of the book had some pacing issues. That being said, I did like the way everything came together around 60-70%. The last ~30% was definitely my favorite and I read it in one sitting!

This was a solid read and the issues that the characters face feel very real in some aspects. I found myself liking the women of this story much more than the men most of the way through. I really appreciated the content about infertility/pregnancy difficulties as well as IVF. I thought the commentary on trauma was intriguing and the way it informed the characters decisions and choices (even characters removed from the trauma) was well done.

Overall, I enjoyed this and would give it a 3.5

the latecomer follows the story of the wealthy, new york city-based oppenheimer family, from the first meeting of parents salo and johanna, under tragic circumstances, to their triplets born during the early days of ivf. as children, the three siblings – harrison, lewyn, and sally – feel no strong familial bond and cannot wait to go their separate ways, even as their father becomes more distanced and their mother more desperate. when the triplets leave for college, johanna, faced with being truly alone, makes the decision to have a fourth child. what role will the “latecomer” play in this fractured family?

a complex novel that builds slowly and deliberately, the latecomer touches on the topics of grief and guilt, generational trauma, privilege and race, traditions and religion, and family dynamics. it is a profound and witty family story from an accomplished author, known for the depth of her character studies, expertly woven storylines, and plot twists.

FAmily comes first, or does it? In Jean Hanff Korelitz' new novel, THE LATECOMER, we are met with a slew of questions that we ask ourselves. I first fell in love with this authors writing with last years knockout book THE PLOT and while this story is quite different it still had that same depth and tightness in writing; she does suck a great job at giving so much information in short spurts but keeping it compelling and not feeling too heavy.

THE LATECOMER follows the story of the Oppenheimer family; a father who is reclusive and really never wanted to be a dad-or knew how to be one- in the first place, a mother whos' sole purpose was to raise her three children conceived through invitro and never had the attachments a mother/child relationship aught to, and the triplets: Harrison, Lweyn and Sally-idnetical but completely different all at once. Through the novel we follow their struggles, their lack of emotional connection and their eventual progression into adulthood and how they interact when they begin to learn the past.

There were some really nice moments in this novel and incredibly rich characters. As most literary novels go it was not the fastest page turner out there. Read this if you enjoy slow burning books with unique characters and POV's.

There was so much useless verbiage and talk of art. I was pretty bored from the onset. And the characters, they were awful. You may ask, was this book character or plot driven? I would have to say it was completely agenda driven. I am so beyond of books with “hidden” agendas (I.e., white privilege, racism, etc.). I found the ending to be the worst, as it was so unbelievable. Even the worst siblings wouldn’t turn on each other to appease someone they’d just met.

I really wanted to like this one because I am so grateful to Celadon for the review copy. Sadly, this just wasn’t for me.

This novel follows the wealthy Oppenheimer family throughout the years, from the tragedy that first brought the parents together through the births of their IVF triplets and eventually their late-in-life baby. Touching on many dynamics regarding family values, grief, love, and tragedy, it also serves as a learning lesson about the past and how to work through the problems of the present.

While this could be considered a slow burn, I wouldn’t have had it any other way. I often found myself blissfully plodding along and not wishing the story to progress as I was happily nestled in with the dysfunctional Oppenheimers.

The story of their lives was reminiscent of a well-worn sweater that, while moth-eaten and a bit dusty, felt like home. Something that could never be thrown out but cherished for generations to come. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a long and wonderfully captivating read.

The publisher provided ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Johanna Oppenheimer is desperate for children. When those dreams come true and she is blessed with triplets, her world is filled with joy. That is until the triplets are born and she sees no bond between them. No similarity in them. Instead, Sally, Harrison and Lewinsky are only connected by blood, other than that, they hate each other to the point where most of the time, they pretend they are not related. After 17 years of this everything is rocked by the surprising birth of their sister Phoebe who is everything they are not. But a tragic event is what brings the triplets to realize just what family is.

My god! This book kept me awake. So beautifully written and filled with emotion from start to finish. The book is jam packed with characters who you grow to hate, but love in some type of way. Phoebe is what glues the family together. Each chapter bringing you a new character is something that I live for. Each character develops in their own ways and it helps the story play out wonderfully.

You might expect a book about triplets to be a heartwarming in-depth portrait of their family dynamics. But you would only be partially correct. In author Korelitz's hands, it is an in-depth portrait of three siblings who happen to be born at the same time to a family that is seriously dysfunctional.

Two brothers and one sister seem to have nothing in common, nor do they care about each other. One boy and one girl end up at the same Ivy League university and never tell anyone at the university that they have a sibling there, nor do they purposely interact with each other. The other boy, brilliant and haughty, is focused on his own life and his own career, making unusual and often unpopular choices. And then there are the parents. Their father has been forever tainted by a tragic accident he caused in his youth. And their mother is disappointed that, after a dangerous birth, she has never had the mother/child relationships she so desired.

Although it was difficult to relate to, much less like, any of these characters, and although I found myself frequently skimming paragraphs of dense prose, I was still propelled from chapter to chapter. I had to know what happens to each of them. And to know who exactly is narrating the story in the first person. And then there's the latecomer of the title . . .

I admire the author's accomplishment, especially because there really is some redemption at the end of the story, which I hardly dared hope would happen.

My thanks to NetGalley and Celadon Books for affording me the opportunity to read and provide an honest review of this book.

Thank you to Celedon books and NetGalley for the arc in return for my honest opinion. The main characters are triplets who never really cared for each other and are so real with flaws. Which is what made me want to read this book. I will say it's written well, entertaining and is an intricately woven family drama. It's the first book that I have read by Jean Hanff Korelitz. I loved how it was written with it being broken down into parts so you get different perspectives and loved the plot. But I didn't enjoy the characters at all

First off, thank you Celadon Books and Netgalley for allowing me to read and review The Latecomer digital ARC

I was excited to see that Jean Hanff Korelitz had written a new book (after I had been gifted the Plot and really enjoyed it). I request because I thought for sure this would be great as well - however, it fell short in comparison.

Very character driven, almost too much detail. While the writing itself on the surface is good, I did not find the characters likable and it wasn't as engaging as the PLOT. I loved Jean's thriller writing but this one wasn't a favorite.

After reading The Plot I knew I wanted to read more by this author. Unfortunately, this was just the wrong one for me. I prefer books with heavy plot and this book is more of a character study. It's slow paced without much happening. The characters are not very relatable. I think the writing is excellent, this one is just not for me.

I real enjoyed this character driven story. I liked all the detail and description, really getting to know the family and their stories.