The Family Fang

I grabbed this novel on a whim because it was featured on a banner ad when I came to the Audible site. I am SO glad I did. This story is very well written and the characters are unique and competently developed. The story is interesting and often unpredictable, which makes it enjoyable all the way to the end.

And I have found a new narrator! Up until now, Davina Porter has been my favorite narrator due to her ability to really manipulate voices and bring a variety of characters to lfe with her voice. Therese Plummer is spectacular at this. She really breathes life into this already good novel and give you a cast of characters, each unique in their own voices. This book, unlike most that I've read or listened to, had a complete ending. When the story was over, I was done. I didn't have questions, I didn't wish it would go on...the story was over. And I liked that. It left me free to appreciate it and move on to the next book in my library with a sense of closure.

This one is definitely worth the credit.

In my opinion, this book is more of an art project than a novel. I remember sitting on a bench in a large gallery in the Louvre. The large, framed painting hung on the wall in front of me showed a scene of ANOTHER large gallery in ANOTHER museum, with some OTHER people sitting on a bench, looking at the painting in front of THEM...

This book is like that. It’s a story of a married couple that are performance artists. They spend their lives trying to manipulate people into being upset and uncomfortable. The fact that their parents do this makes our main characters (the couple’s children) upset, and uncomfortable. As a result of this, and in experiencing how this repeatedly hurts these vulnerable, damaged kids, it is now the you, the reader, who will become upset, and uncomfortable.

What does home and family really mean? If qualities such as loyalty, constancy, and a sense of safety are absent, does it cease to truly BE home and family? At what point do you have the right to walk away? And if you believe you have earned that right... is it even possible to do so?

These questions rise to the surface as Annie and Buster, now grown from damaged kids to damaged adults find themselves with nowhere to turn but the very childhood home that damaged them in the first place. When something happens that could be a tragedy, the siblings have to ask themselves; is the tragedy actually a reality? Or is it just another presentation of their parents art? If their parents ARE behind the events, isn’t that just as tragic? Their parents have manipulated the siblings into being unwitting, living props so many times, they no longer know the difference between what’s real, and what’s “pretend”. As a reader of the book, I came to the conclusion that there was no difference at all between the two.

Through all of this however, the underlining foundation of the book was of love; the true, deep, abiding love of two siblings. It was beautiful.

The dénouement left me feeling a little dead inside, sad, and very tired; but the author was kind enough to spend the last 15 minutes of the story gentling moving us back to solid ground, ending the story with a safe place to land before he leaves you. I was extremely grateful for that.

This book is not for everyone. Some will not find the humor funny, or the underlining themes interesting. For some readers, the author’s attempt at making YOU uncomfortable will be so successful you’ll hate the book.. In the end, I was glad I read it. I found it very thought provoking, and utterly original. The narration was also top rate, and I’ll be looking out for more of the narrator’s work.

I’m looking forward to seeing future reviews on this book to read what others thought of this difficult, but very worthwhile, story.

This was one of those books that I expected would fill my drive to work nicely, but I didn't really start listening with huge expectations for a lasting impression. I was very pleasantly surprised to find myself totally drawn in by the reader, laughing out loud within the first 5 minutes of the Fang family's first "event." The story is great, but it's the detail with which their individual and collective personalities are shaped that makes this such a great listen. Even during the funniest moments, there is a lingering sadness which follows the family, and during their saddest moments there is still a bizarre humor which eases their awkward pain. Therese Plummer's performance is hypnotic, and she renders each character's voice uniquely - usually I shut off my book when I pull into my driveway and resume it the next morning on my way to work, but Plummer made it impossible to find a good place to end it. I ended up listening to this while I did dishes, while I folded laundry, pretty much any time I could think of a chore to justify it. The last chapter I gave up looking for pretext, got into bed and listened through to the end before falling asleep. The author makes art a character in the story, fittingly the type of chaotic art that his characters chase and/or avoid so fervently. He makes emotion a tangible thing that you can visualize as you listen, seeing it in color and movement. I cannot recommend this book highly enough, and I will look for more books read by the narrator.

I can't remember how I came across this book, but I'm glad I gave it a try. It is unique and entertaining. I liked the way the story is broken up into past and present events to give the reader a deeper undestanding of the characters. I've never heard of Kevin Wislon before, but I'd be willing to listen to another one of his books, hopefully with the same narrator.

Original and engaging. Couldn't stop listening. This book was very unique in plot, but its heart is in its characters, which is what made it so good.

I knew nothing about this book when I bought it--I was attracted to the title. I love vampire books, however, this is NOT one. It is a family story about a crazier-than-usual family. I don't want to give anything away, but nothing is quite as it seems over and over. The reader is terrific. I laughed, smiled, cried, and all around enjoyed The Family Fang. Kevin Wilson is funny and profound.

Loved everything about this book: the story, the characters, the impeccable narration. It's a great book if you like novels about children whose first (and perhaps greatest) accomplishment is to survive their weird, messed up families. (You will want to run the Fang parents over in your car, but you will also be cheering for Child A and Child B, Annie and Buster, the whole way through.) It`s also a great book about art and what it means to create something. Usually I hate reading descriptions of art in books, but the Fangs' horrible performance pieces were an awful delight.

I really enjoyed the first two-thirds of this book - the story of the eccentric family and their "artistic" adventures made for a fun listen. The remainder of the story became convoluted and required a little more diligence to stay focused and invested in the final resolution. Overall, a unique and interesting book worth consideration.

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.

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

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.

All good.

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

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.