A Friend of the Family (edition 2010)

Peter, a successful doctor in middle-age, runs into two serious problems almost simultaneously: his son drops out of college to become a painter, and he is charged with malpractice when he fails to properly diagnose a fatal illness in a patient. Faced with the censure of his neighbors, Peter clearly sees the parallel to how he treated his best friend Joe when Joe’s daughter Laura had her own very public troubles.

Laura’s problem was more dramatic than Peter or Alec’s. As a teenager in high school, she got pregnant, carried the baby for six months, then delivered in a bathroom stall at the local public library. Before the baby had taken its first breath, Laura killed it by breaking its skull over her knee.

Peter, appalled by Laura’s crime, was unable to be the supportive friend that Joe needed during Laura’s trial. More than a decade has passed since Laura killed her child, yet Peter carries a lingering anger because he could never fully express how appalled he was by Laura’s crime, and also deep guilt for having failed in his duties as a friend.

The situation gets worse when Alec (only 21) is wrapped up in a romantic relationship with Laura (who is 30 now). When Alec threatens to run away to Paris with Laura, Peter finds all his old feelings about Laura coming back in full force, combined now with panic and fear about his son’s future. By confronting Laura, he manages to end the threat she poses to his son. However, in the process he damages his marriage, ruins his relationship with his oldest friends, and drives his son away.

Like many recent novels about family secrets, this one waits until the very end to reveal the details of what Peter did to bring on the malpractice suit, and the full story of what exactly happened when Laura killed her baby. The broad outlines of these events are clear from early on. The issues that Peter faces, of strained relationships with his friends, guilt about his work, and anxiety over his son’s future, will speak to many people who find themselves in the same situation. The murky morals and tough decisions are real and compelling, but to me the story was ordinary. ( )

A good fast read. ( )

Holy shit. This book was bananas. B&N had this as their deal of the day last week, and I bought it on a whim, thinking I could eat the 1.99$ if it turned out to be horrible. Jesus, was I wrong.

I started this book this afternoon, in a moment of sheer boredom. I've been in such a reading rut lately, and I keep picking up and putting down books like its my job. This one hooked me from the first page, and I had to stay up late to finish it.

I had no idea what to expect going into this novel, so I'm not even going to discuss the plot, as it was incredible to have it unfold before my eyes, but I will say that it was thrilling and heart wrenching and horrible and fascinating. I couldn't put it down. I've seen some reviews calling it an American Classic and I can't help but agree. 4.5 stars. ( )

Really an interesting book to read---I liked the main character immediately and the layers and interrelationships of the different families were beautifully written. I found a little confusion because of the jumping around in the time line and although it was probably exactly what the author was trying to present in terms of Peter's, the main character, own thoughts as he tried to work through his confusions---it wound up making me say, "oops" every now and then when I realized we had suddenly gone to a different period of time---and then back again with no warning. ( )

Lauren Grodstein's novel A FRIEND OF THE FAMILY is a compelling read. My adult 30-something daughter recommended the book, and, since she is a fan of the ubiquitous 'chick lit' genre, I wasn't expecting to like the book, but it grabbed me and held on 'til I got to its somewhat surprising but not unrealistic conclusion. This young woman is a VERY good writer.

Other reviewers argued over whether protagonist/narrator Dr Pete Dizinoff was an admirable or likable character. I think that is beside the point. The point is that Dr Pete is a very human, and therefore fallible, sort of guy. I understood him, and I empathized with him. When you consider that a young woman like Grodstein got so completely inside the head of a fifty-something year-old male - and made him so believably real in the bargain - then you will get some idea of what a talented writer Lauren Grodstein really is. And she got all the smaller details of Dr Pete's earlier life right too, his childhood, his relationship with his father and brother, the college and med school years, his coming of age in regard to sex and women, those inchoate yearnings and unfulfilled longings, that years-long crush on his best friend's wife. My God, there's some good writing here!

Grodstein's sense of pacing and suspense and her use of flashbacks and framing is also impeccable. And the plotline itself has a sense of originality about it, even though it's not necessarily a new story.

Under Grodstein's hands, Pete Dizinoff, while he may not be a completely admirable character, becomes thoroughly real, human - Everyman. There are some very disturbing, shocking things in this book, but there's something unique about the way they are presented. Low-key, deftly, subtly, slowly revealed. I will say it again. This is a very good book by a very talented young writer. Bravo, Ms Grodstein. ( )