Everything you need to know about “Long Island Compromise” is in the title. It is essentially a 500-page exploration of the ways in which people can be screwed over by each other, a job and the relentless pursuit of money.
All tagged family drama
Real Americans – Rachel Khong
Exploring the complexities of family, identity and the American Dream – plus the ethics of genome editing for good measure – it's the type of novel that could easily veer into literary excess but Khong showed a remarkable knack for balancing heavy ideas with beach read sensibilities.
North Woods – Daniel Mason
Expectation: A straightforward historical fiction journey through a remote area of New England.
Reality: A dark, but accessible fairytale filled with ghosts – both literal and figurative – that excels at making the reader care about the dozen or so characters we meet. It was one of the more creative novels I read this year.
Hello Beautiful – Ann Napolitano
Expectation: A richly-layered tearjerker that tracks the ups and downs of four sisters and the people in their orbit.
Reality: Too many characters without development and repetitive sections showed the author couldn’t scale her storytelling ambition.
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time – Mark Haddon
Expectation: A light-hearted English mystery.
Reality: Darker than expected with a somewhat problematic undertone.
Your House Will Pay – Steph Cha
Expectation: A trauma-fest ripped from the headlines.
Reality: A surprisingly balanced and detailed microhistory of early 1990s racial tensions in Los Angeles. The story had many layers that were explored in detail without making this feel like an agony dump.
Brother & Sister Enter the Forest – Richard Mirabella
Expectation: A modern retelling of Hansel and Greta but with PTSD being the villain.
Reality: An engrossing and complex story about forgiveness and self-love. It’s not going to be to everyone’s taste, but it’s worth the read.
Clap When You Land – Elizabeth Acevedo
Expectation: A sullen “Parent Trap”-esque young adult novel about two half sisters learning about one another through tragedy.
Reality: A gorgeously understated book-in-verse that delivered strong character development and real emotion without pandering to YA trends.
Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club – J. Ryan Stradal
Expectation: My enthusiasm was off the charts for this book, my most anticipated read of the year.
Reality: While not as strong as Stradal's previous novels, it was still highly entertaining and he took a few risks that mostly paid off.
Everything I Never Told You – Celeste Ng
Expectation: A family mystery-thriller akin to Alice Sebold’s “Lovely Bones.”
Reality: Not so much a mystery, but a slowburn exploration of the Lee family dynamics, which have a solid foundation of secrecy.
Afterparties – Anthony Veasna So
Expectation: The next great coming-of-age collection spotlighting an underrepresented group of people.
Reality: A tonally uneven collection that was not helped by a terrible audiobook narration.
Christodora – Tim Murphy
Expectation: An engrossing, underappreciated modern epic.
Reality: Bloated, meandering and populated with people doing terrible things, I wanted to like this more than I did.
Marrying the Ketchups – Jennifer Close
Expectation: A family drama infused with Chicagoland ethos (think part “Happy Endings”/part “Shameless”).
Reality: Funnier and more thought provoking than anticipated, I was absolutely engrossed by the story and felt seen in the pages.
Remarkably Bright Creatures – Shelby Van Pelt
Expectation: A high concept buddy dramedy exploring the human and animal connection.
Reality: Marcellus and Tova are the strongest parts of the story, so whenever it shifted to someone else the narrative lost steam. Still, I was charmed overall.
Black Cake – Charmaine Wilkerson
Expectation: A big-hearted family drama with historical fiction elements and the experiences of Caribbean Americans.
Reality: It delivers on the drama and Caribbean experience, but there’s too much plot and too many people making it feel overstuffed and undercooked.
Sharks in the Time of Saviors – Kawai Strong Washburn
Expectation: A quasi-scifi family drama about carrying the weight of your family’s hopes and dreams.
Reality: A strong first half was ruined by a mid-point plot twist that rendered the rest of the novel far less interesting.
The Five Wounds – Kirstin Valdez Quade
Expectation: A big-hearted family drama.
Reality: More depressing than hopeful, you want to root for the Padilla family, but sometimes they make it difficult.
Don’t Cry For Me – Daniel Black
Expectation: A story of regret, but ultimately, absolution.
Reality: A profoundly moving and utterly devastating reflection on life and your missteps.
A Place for Us – Fatima Farheen Mirza
Expectation: A family drama heavy on religious guilt and first-generation American children defying parental expectations.
Reality: An initially confusing beginning unfolds into a layered, understated and deeply moving portrayal of the danger of secrets, carrying shame and failed second chances.