What first struck me about this book was its voice. That clever story voice belongs, in the first person, to Rosemary Cooke, whose life is unusual, intriguing, and fascinating. The story, in general, is about a close-knit family who stops being one when an adopted member is given away while Rosemary was a five-year-old child. The family dynamics has gone totally askew, and the reader finds out why through the twists and turns of the plot. In fact, in addition to the fantastic voice, the surprise factors of the plot twists make this book a truly memorable one.

Over and above the dysfunctionality of the family, however, is the book’s internal concern on animal experimentations and the ethics of the handling the animals by scientists and the laboratories. To say more on the subject would be giving away the plot.

From where I stand, I can say that this book was a delightful surprise, although it has dark, shattering and deeply moving sides to it. The wit of the speaker, the brilliance in the unfolding of the plot, the depth in the scenes, and the handling of tension and suspense are absolutely exquisite.

To take a different plot of such an unusual family, to make their story absolutely believable, and to give it a heart as well is not any run-of-the-mill author’s feat. For this novel, Karen Joy Fowler deserves a huge applause.

the voice and the wit of the speaker.

read Karen Joy Fowler's other books.

for the family and the individuals in it.

is Karen Joy Fowler who usually writes sci-fi, fantasy, and literary fiction. Her The Jane Austen Book Club has been made into a movie.

I found it to be very different from anything I have read before that was about family dynamics.

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Created May 03, 2017 at 6:54pm • Submit your own review...