The Latecomer by Jean Hanff KorelitzMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I hate to admit this publicly, but my siblings and I are not close and never were. So it was reassuring to read about siblings (implanted triplets in this case) who were, arguably, even more distanced from one another than my brothers and I. Usually in books siblings are either close friends or bitter rivals. In this delightful book, they were simply disconnected from each other and very different in personality. Yes, they did ultimately clash (and, oh boy, in what a big way!) but the author displayed masterful skill in telling their different stories, and exploring how the family dynamic can interact with innate personality to create very different results. By having them as triplets, she completely took birth order out of the discussion.
There are several delightful twists (including one that seemed, at first, like an odd narration style — which eventually gets explained). She also did a good job at trying to give fair voice to some of the right-wing views that have come to dominate a large chunk of the American discourse. (Though the right-wingers are not portrayed as particularly sympathetic characters.)
I didn’t give it 5 stars because the end wrapped things up a little too neatly, I felt. But overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and would definitely recommend it.
View all my reviews
