kirstiekate

THE FAMILY TREE, the debut novel of Carole Cadwalladr, follows the struggles of three generations of a family, giving view to how the problems of the mother leave indelible scars on her children. For the most part, it is an engrossing read, one of those "I can't put this down yet" books, that don't necessarily change your life, but help make a week move faster. It is beautifully written and heartfelt. The major difficulty in the book is the form that Cadwalladr tries to employ. Because she is tracing the paths of three different women, the action of the story jumps around a good deal from the present day to various moments in the past. This made the main story line--that of Rebecca's current struggles in her marriage--harder to follow. But as the story progresses and the lives of the women begin to interweave, you see why she has told the stories in the order she has and she does an excellent job of tying the ends together. The ending itself was a little depressing, a little surprising in its abruptness, but on the whole fitting to the story. A good read, a fast read, worth the time if you need something to get you to the weekend.

2023-07-14 17:12