Hmmm...this book could've been so much more, I think. A major event happens and we learn how it effected individual lives...kind of...sort of...I didn't care anything about any of these people so this book wasn't great for me. ( )

It was a haunting story. I would have given it a higher rating but I do not care for "stream of conscious" writing. It was distracting and took away from the story. ( )

The story opens in an Italian neighborhood in the Bronx in the 1950s. Our narrator is a young boy named Anthony who is frustrated when his cousins and aunt move into his cramped apartment over the holidays. The story morphs into something new as our narrator changes to Anthony’s mother and then to his aunt Leonora, then his cousin. The book covers three time periods as well; first the ‘50s, then the ‘70s, and finally the early 2000s.

We watch as the family grows and changes over the course of those decades. We see how a single event can resonate throughout the lives involved. Each of the stories ties the whole picture together, giving a wide and wonderful look at what makes a family a family. How we are able to both hurt and help each other so much more when we are connected by blood.

I really enjoyed every second of this book. It’s not that the story itself is particularly startling; it’s that the characters are so beautifully drawn. They feel like they could be people from our own families. They struggle with the same hurts and unhappiness and guilt that plague us all from time to time.

BOTTOM LINE: What begins as a simple coming-of-age story quickly becomes a powerful look at family dynamics. I’m so glad I stumbled upon this one and I will be searching out more work from this author.

p.s. I listened to the audio version and it was excellent!

“Some days being sure only meant you had to double check, because if you didn’t, everything else would come undone.” ( )

Hegi is a highly rated author and I picked this book up while browsing in a used book store. It follows an Italian family through roughly three generations and is well written, gritty in places, with Hegi's run-on thoughts in places and great character development. Having said that, I'm not sure the point of the novel aside from the treatment of family secrets and guilt. A good book, but not a great one and certainly worth reading for Hegi fans. ( )

This well-written book takes a look at the complexities of family life and the ramifications that one event (albeit a tragic one) can have on the family dynamics. The story is divided into four parts, each told by a different member of the family. This works exceptionally well with the audio version where a different reader is used for each part. I would highly recommend this moving work. ( )