
Member Reviews

The story opens with a father about to testify at a murder trial where his daughter is the defendant. Eighteen year old Stella is on trial for the murder of a man in his 30’s. She is the only child of a pastor and a lawyer who are well respected in the community and live in an upscale neighborhood. The story is told from three POVs. The father, the mother and the daughter. With each POV I found my perspective changing as more of the family’s secrets are revealed.
POV 1: The father. Religious, privileged and judgmental. Right from the start we know he is okay with lying as long as he can justify it. Richard Armitage narrates his part beautifully.
POV 2: The daughter. Intelligent, funny and angry. She’s been accused of murder, yet for some reason she is reluctant to try to save herself. Georgia Maguire as the narrator for Stella’s part was perfect.
POV 3: The mother. Ambitious, pretentious and distraught. As she’s telling her story, it’s clear she knows more than she’s letting on to her husband and the police. Emily Watson is also terrific in her narration of Ulrika.
The story is a testament to just how far we may go to protect our loved ones. Defending them no matter how right or wrong we think they may be. A Nearly Normal family is an excellent dissection of a family in crisis that I highly recommend if you enjoy a legal thriller and a family drama. A 2019 Book of the Month selection. Also, it looks like A Nearly Normal Family is going to be a limited series on Netflix in 2023. Thank you to NetGalley for an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.