Clegg’s new book (I really enjoyed Did You Ever Have a Family, his first novel) requires patience. It’s one of those stories where disparate threads and characters eventually come together, where connections are revealed and questions are answered, but it takes some time to get there.
A woman wakes up to find an old friend waiting outside her house, a friend she hasn’t spoken to in nearly 50 years. A shuttle driver in Hawaii gets a call from the mainland that reawakens old memories. The father of a newborn sits beside his father’s hospital bed, hoping he will awaken and praying there won't be bad news regarding his condition.
Who are these people? How do they connect with each other? Why do they lead separate lives? So much hinges on things that occurred nearly a lifetime ago. Everything unfolds over the span of one day.
Clegg is a fantastic writer and he breathes life into his characters. The story is narrated by at least six or seven people, which gets a little unwieldy at times. But the biggest challenge I had is that the story overall just didn’t resonate with me. It took so long for everything to be revealed that I didn’t feel the payoff when it happened.
This is a beautifully written book, however. Clegg has talent, and perhaps for a more patient reader, this really may work.
NetGalley and Scout Press provided me a complimentary advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making it available!!
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