(10/9/2023)
My husband and I read this book together, and it generated a number of thoughtful discussions between us. It is a book to read slowly, not only to savor the writing, but also to think about the themes presented. The book is organized in three parts each involving one day, April 5th, in 2019 (pre-pandemic), 2020 (pandemic) and 2021 (post-pandemic). We follow an extended family group as it wrestles with daily living during a very difficult time. For the most part, each member is not getting what he or she wants and not wanting what each is getting. Disappointment, failed dreams, and unrealistic hopes abound. Two of the characters, Isabel and her brother Robbie, create an imaginary figure, Wolfe, and post daily updates about his life which is one they each long for themselves. The novel asks whether this family, described by one of the characters as "a conglomerate of sorts" can "survive its own ruptures". Can it? Can any family? The novel does not give us tidy answers, but it is a richer story than Wolfe's idealized one.