Commonwealth – Ann Patchett
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: The impact of a stolen kiss between two married people in the 1960s is explored over decades through the children and spouses left reeling.
Expectation: A depressing family drama.
Reality: The perfect balance of light and heavy, Ann Patchett brought to life a cast of interesting characters with her trademark observations on the nature of relationships and how they evolve over time.
Recommended For: Patchett fans and those that like a good dramedy.
Why I Read It: It was on my TBR list for three years, and I enjoyed Patchett’s “The Dutch House.”
My Take:
If there was a book tailor made for me, Ann Patchett’s “Commonwealth” would be the model:
Decades spanning
Multiple, well-developed characters
Alternating POVs
Astute observations about relationships
Balance of funny and poignant
Amazing audiobook narration
All that to say, I was hooked from the first chapter through the last and often created tasks for myself just so I could listen.
Following the lives of the blended Keating and Cousin families, Patchett presents a realistic — if still a bit bourgeoisie — portrayal of how different people react to the same secrets and trauma.
This book has been around for several years, so I won’t go into the plot details, rather I’ll speak to a few of the themes that resonated with me:
Patchett posits the affair between Beverly Keating and Bert Cousins as a butterfly effect, and each character at one point or another explores the “what if” aspect of that fateful kiss.
Through Leon and Franny, there’s an interesting question about who “owns” a family’s history and the right to share that information. Even though Franny didn’t write the novel Leon based on her family, she reaped the benefits and was therefore complicit.
The little ways in which events — both minuscule and monumental — can worm their way into your consciousness and never let go.
How circumstances can bond people together, and how it’s up to the individual to make it a positive or negative experience.
Keeping 11 main characters interesting is not easy, but Patchett makes it look effortless. My main complaint is that maybe Franny and Leon got too much page-time, whereas interesting characters, like Teresa, Jeanette and Holly Keating, only got a single chapter.
If you tackle this as an audiobook, know there are shifts in timeline, frequently within the same chapter, so it’s sometimes difficult to follow the plot if you aren’t listening closely. That’s of no fault to Hope Davis who gives a stellar performance as the narrator. She found the heart of each character and amplified it without detracting from Patchett’s writing.
This was only my second Patchett novel — after “The Dutch House” — and both stories have proven to be amongst my favorite reads of the year. She could be in the running as one of my favorite authors, and I’m grateful there’s 30 years’ worth of stories for me to catch-up on.
Rating (story): 5/5 stars
Rating (narration): 5/5 stars
Formats: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: February 28 – March 5, 2022
Multi-tasking: Okay but only with activities that still allow you to concentrate. You don’t’ want to miss the little details that make the story a rich experience.
