The definition of "defenstrate" means "to throw someone out of a window". And this is the action that starts a family curse of falling in Renee Branum's Defenestrate. Big falls and small falls, twins Marta and Nick have grown up hearing the stories of family members doomed to various types of falls.
And then, after a big family fight, the loss of their father, and the estrangement of their mother, Nick has a fall. Nursing her broken brother back to health, Marta comes to terms with her own falling apart and the truth behind their family history.
This was a very creative novel that weaves true stories of fall victims and celebrities such as Buster Keaton into a fictional narrative of a family falling apart. The story isn't told in chronological order, so in the beginning, it was tough to keep track of where we were in the timeline. Once I got used to the author's writing style, I enjoyed the book more and more. There's a reason why this is a New Yorker Best Book of the Year and a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice.
The topics in this novel are prime for book club discussion: religion, sibling relationships, mother/child relationships, homosexuality, family lore, and mental health. And the chapters are not very long. You'll finish one and say, "Not enough!" and just keep on reading.
The whole book is only 240 pages, so if you're the type of reader who likes to keep things short and only has enough time to read in small chunks, this is the perfect novel for you.
Defenestrate is published by Bloomsbury and is on bookstore shelves now. I received a free review copy.
Comments
Post a Comment