The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz

The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Addictive reading of an incredibly dysfunctional family, I couldn’t put it down!

The Oppenheimer triplets. From the moment of their birth, the thing they wanted most was to be shed of the others.

Their father has a sad and tragic secret. Their mother has devoted her life to freeing him from his past and creating a loving family. However, the results couldn’t be further from that goal.

With their emotionally, and increasingly more physically, absent father and their mother in denial about the true state of the family dynamics, the three siblings leave their Brooklyn home to follow their own separate paths via their choice of universities. However, as their freshman year goes on, the secrets and resentments continue to pile up, and the Oppenheimers are headed for disaster.

From the opening chapters to the very last page, I was completely immersed in the family’s story: mother, father, and triplets. The narrative by the, at first, unnamed sibling was strong and confident, teasing me with its foreshadowing, urging me on deeper into the Oppenheimer family drama. I was hooked by not only the story but the author’s deliberate. Engaging writing style and delivery.

The triplets initially put me off, each unpleasant in their way, but as I got their point of view and their stories came out, they won me over – even the obnoxious Harrison had his moments for me. The story is an absorbing family drama, but twists and turns in the plot floored me and kept me glued to the pages: definitely five-star surprises. However, the healing and forgiveness among family members ultimately made this such a satisfying reading experience for me. Won over to each character’s side, I was aching for their futures to work out.

With its smart and smooth writing and delivery and its fascinating plot, I recommend THE LATECOMER to readers of literary fiction, especially those who enjoy epic family dramas.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

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