Member Reviews

A short novel about an extended family told from different viewpoints over the duration of one year. I love this kind of writing that lets us get into the head of each character and see things from each of their perspectives; the author captures the way that different family members view different conversations or actions in totally different ways, or how what they assume about each other keeps them from seeing the full picture. Each chapter is like a short vignette from a different perspective. Kauffman doesn't waste a single word; her sparse but emotional writing is easy to read yet hits powerfully and directly.

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Domesticity reigns in this quiet novel about the vicissitudes of family life. Its composition is a mosaic of events in the lives of an interconnected group - parents, children, other family members and related folk. Characters are explored, kindly usually, in an effort to deliver both sides, especially in the case of inveterate liar Rob. The author handles all this with some humor as well as a transcending sense of love, glimpsed behind the welter of daily stuff, holidays and efforts to cope. It’s alternately humdrum and affecting, which is quite an achievement in its own small way. I was not uni,pressed.

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A cascade of vignettes of an extended family as the children reach middle age. Kauffman has created a fable of second chances, and new opportunities - the participants need only to open their hearts and lower their guards. Kauffman writes with a soft tone but has much to say - none of the situations are particularly unique or devastating but her soft words create sharp darts when the ripples effect hits. I loved this story and felt like I actually learned to be a better friend and family member from it!
#catapult #softskull #illcometoyou #rebeccakauffman

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this book was exactly the right length and hit all the right emotional tones in such a short period of time… nothing fancy, just a wonderful book

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