We Are the Brennans – Tracey Lange
100-Word (or Less) Synopsis: The Brennans loom large in their East Coast town, which means they are easy targets for those that want to see them fail.
Expectation: A complex and layered story about family, regrets and moving forward.
Reality: A melodrama about terrible people, that think they are good people, getting a happy ending.
Recommended For: No one.
Why I Read It: I won a paperback copy in a #Bookstagram giveaway.
My Take:
“We Are the Brennnans” is the type of story that on the surface seems like a solid, well-told family drama, until you finish it and sit with the characters and plot a bit more.
That’s when you realize you sat through nearly 300-pages of garbage people — all with “main character syndrome”— that lie and cheat their way through life but always seem to be the victims.
It. Is. Exhausting.
Tracey Lange, a debut author, starts the story promisingly enough. Introducing us to the first of the Brennan sibling superstars — Sunday — who is hospitalized after driving under the influence in Los Angeles.
Soon after we meet the remaining adult Brennans: Denny, the bar owner; Mickey, the Irish immigrant father; Jackie, the hot-headed brother on parole; and Shane, everyone’s favorite who happens to be developmentally disabled.
Let’s not forget about Kale, the honorary Brennan and current business partner of Denny and former flame of Sunday, and the assorted cousins, spouses and children (and maybe another Brennan sibling?) that pop up because, you know, they are Irish Catholic.
The plot centers on a bar facing financial ruin, some long-held family secrets, and an Irish mobster. While all those could make for an exciting journey, instead we’re left with melodrama that makes “Downton Abbey” look tame.
While “you only hurt the ones you love” frequently came to mind, I struggled to find redeeming qualities in any of the characters — except Shane, because I feel he was included entirely to make the Brennans seem likable.
[spoilers ahead]
Here’s a few of the unforgivable things we’re expected to accept about the characters:
Sunday – willingly starts an emotional affair with the married Kale, even after leaving him years earlier without explanation.
Denny - has made questionable financial decisions without consulting his business partner or wife, and then is upset when she leaves him.
Mickey – cheated on his wife for years (with the Irish mobsters’ father) and then has someone killed.
Kale – doesn’t even try to hide the fact that he hates his wife and is ready for an out as soon as Sunday reappears.
Folks, these are the heroes of this story showcasing the “redemptive power of love” (according to the back cover). If lying and cheating is how this family shows love, then they all deserve each other.
What frustrated me the most was that everything ties up nicely and there are no long-term consequences for the ways in which they’ve hurt others and themselves. Instead, they all get their version of a happy ending.
It’s one thing when you have a morally corrupt character who recognizes it. It’s something else entirely when you have a group of people that feel entitled to be terrible and are rewarded for it.
If it wasn’t for the audiobook narrated by Barrie Kreinik, who does a solid job selling this trash — Irish accents and all — I would’ve given up on this one about halfway through.
A lot of people will likely check this one out since it was a 2021 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Fiction and Debut Author, but I’d suggest skipping it all together.
Rating (story): 2/5 stars
Rating (narration): 3/5 stars
Formats: Audiobook (library loan)
Dates read: December 8 - 11, 2021
Multi-tasking: Good to go. I mostly cleaned and organized while listening.
