The Family Fang

By: Kevin Wilson

Narrated by: Therese Plummer

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Publisher's summary

Mr. and Mrs. Fang called it art. Their children called it mischief.

Performance artists Caleb and Camille Fang dedicated themselves to making great art. But when an artist's work lies in subverting normality, it can be difficult to raise well-adjusted children. Just ask Buster and Annie Fang. For as long as they can remember, they starred (unwillingly) in their parents' madcap pieces. But now that they are grown up, the chaos of their childhood has made it difficult to cope with life outside the fishbowl of their parents' strange world.

When the lives they've built come crashing down, brother and sister have nowhere to go but home, where they discover that Caleb and Camille are planning one last performance - their magnum opus - whether the kids agree to participate or not. Soon, ambition breeds conflict, bringing the Fangs to face the difficult decision about what's ultimately more important: their family or their art.

Filled with Kevin Wilson's endless creativity, vibrant prose, sharp humor, and keen sense of the complex performances that unfold in the relationships of people who love one another, The Family Fang is a masterfully executed tale that is as bizarre as it is touching.

©2011 Kevin Wilson (P)2011 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The Family Fang sparkles with Kevin Wilson’s inventive dialogue and wonderfully rendered set-pieces that capture the surreal charm of the Fang’s most notable work. With this brilliant novel, the family Fang is destined to join the families Tenenbaum and Bluth as paragons of high dysfunction." (Amazon.com review; Amazon Best Books of the Month, August 2011)

Weird... but good.

Very ... interesting story. I didn't *love* it, but enjoyed it well enough. The author did a great job developing the characters, and I really felt for child "a" and child "b." An interesting look at what constitutes "art" and the effect it (and Caleb and Camille) has on the Fang's children.

Original, captivating storytelling

Where does The Family Fang rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

I'm going to put The Family Fang in the top 1/3 of my huge number of audiobooks listening.

What other book might you compare The Family Fang to and why?

I'd say Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close - family dynamics portrayed with empathy, imagination, and magical realism.

Have you listened to any of Therese Plummer’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I have not listened to Therese Plummer before - and she is just wonderful. Possibly the best narrator I've heard so far. VERY impressed.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes - but I listen to my audiobooks in the car and while at the gym. Almost never in one sitting - unless I have a long road trip.

Any additional comments?

I really appreciated the originality of this book - and the first rate narration.

Flat Ending . . .

The Family Fang is a book I couldn't wait to listen to--and basically I really enjoyed it. It has a totally original story, and the plot progresses nicely. And the narrator was excellent.

The book revolves around a dysfunctional family, but in a funny, quirky, entertaining way. The ending, however, was very flat, and that always brings an otherwise "great" book down to "good" when it comes to my recommendations.

Loving Kevin Wilson

The Family Fang is a quirky story and very entertaining, I love the Easter eggs that allude to his other novels too.

Sooooooo good.

Kevin just has this amazing style. It's so oddly satisfying. I just adore his writing!

very creative but unsettling

I liked this book a lot! But the parents, as parents, were very unsettling. Even though I really liked this book, I am still undecided if it would not have been a stronger and better ending to NOT have included the final chapter. Before the final chapter, the story built up to such a poignant and emotionally powerful place. The resolution of A & B???s lives in the last chapter, although forward looking and hopeful, at least for me, dulled the emotional ???edge??? created in the climactic scene.

Great dry humor: great reading

What did you love best about The Family Fang?

This is a really funny and ridiculous book, esp. if you know your contemporary/performance art. Characters are really well described and plot keeps you interested.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Buster Fang, because he's so hapless. He's the absurd underdog you just can't resist.

What does Therese Plummer bring to the story that you wouldn???t experience if you just read the book?

Dry reading is perfect for these jokes, but the reading is also just right. I especially liked how she read the part of Camilla Fang, who had some truly enigmatic responses.

Who was the most memorable character of The Family Fang and why?

All good.

Any additional comments?

If you like Sedaris, you might like this novel. It's not essays, but humor works in some of the same ways.

Great story, wonderful narration

If you could sum up The Family Fang in three words, what would they be?

Unusual, twisted, fascinating

What other book might you compare The Family Fang to and why?

Geek Love - also deals with a very unusual family in which the parents' motives are questionable.

What does Therese Plummer bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Great voices for the characters - they really came to life.

Who was the most memorable character of The Family Fang and why?

Buster - he's an odd, lovable character.

Original voice plus an excellent performance

Wilson's is a really original approach to the family dysfunction novel, through the metaphor of performance art. A refreshingly creative achievement. The narrator is exceptionally good.

Art, mischief, parents I wanted to punch...

Would you listen to The Family Fang again? Why?

Yes, but not for some time. I had a very difficult time with the family reunion at the end.

What other book might you compare The Family Fang to and why?

Not a book, but a movie. The Family Fang is very similar to Wes Anderson's "The Royal Tennenbaums." The themes are very similar, that oddball humor that I LOVE, the overall wackadoo tone. LOVE LOVE LOVE.

Which scene was your favorite?

Oh man, the "Kill All Parents" performance art scene had me almost driving off the road because I couldn't stop laughing! SO good!

If you could take any character from The Family Fang out to dinner, who would it be and why?

Let's change the question. How about, if I could punch any character from The Family Fang in the face, who would it be? Answer: CALEB. And then I'd go find Camille and punch her in the face. And then I'd call it art. Seriously, not just the worst parents ever, but how about worst people ever! SO self absorbed and truth be told, cruel. Ooo they made me mad. Here's the thing. I LOVE the idea of performance art. Of course not all of the projects were winners. But there was a lot of fun in the art. Making it a family affair is great. And family should come first. But the idea of "the only thing that matters is art," really pisses me off. I won't go into details so I don't spoil anything, but let me say that the "final project" made me livid, stunned, hurt. Good writing, by the way. I felt like I was being told the details of the project in person.

Any additional comments?

VERY happy I got this book! I LOVED IT!