Reviews

The Family, by Naomi Krupitsky

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margueritestjust's review

emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Best described as existing on the periphery of The Family, this novel was somewhat of a disappointment. Taking the choice to write about the women who exist in the background of so many other Mafia stories (and even as a novice adorer of the genre, the well-written women are FAR and few in-between), this story aims to tell the story of the ignored, those who exist in the periphery of the violence and who have to deal with the consequences. The question is whether or not it existed in painting a compelling picture that was able to argue that those stories were worth telling. I'm more inclined to say it was not. These stories are worth telling, absolutely, and I don't want anyone to think that I am not interested in such a premise, because I am. However, the disparity between the idea and its execution is quite clear.

Decidedly meant to be more of a character study, the craft was not up to par. Oddly vaguely reminiscent of pop poetry and somewhat foggy in nature, the style is not anything to write home about. For example, in one passage, the author states "Polo loves Antonia with a desperation that wakes him in the night..." and "Paolo's fixation has started to express itself in sleeplessness. He lies awake starting at the cracked paint of the ceiling" all in one paragraph. The two sentences do not present enough of a distinct difference in conveying the thought behind them, making the actual writing itself redundant, and the style almost plain beyond palatability.

Her characters are her strengths and weaknesses. Sketchy (here meaning similar in nature to an artist's sketch) at best, they don't really quite "develop" as we have come to understand it. Her characters are best described as a series of contradictions. Sometimes this works to great effect, sometimes it's clumsy. To illustrate this, considering the characters of Saul and Antonia. Saul is characterized by contradictions but in his background and his identity, whereas Antonia is characterized by contradictions in her behavior.

Spoiler

Saul's experience as a Jewish refugee in America during after World War II and his marriage into an Italian-American family is defined by what he is forced to leave behind as much as what he gains, perhaps even more so. Forced to marry due to an unplanned pregnancy, he is essentially forced to convert to Catholicism, even into taking on the name Colicchio. Having already parted with his mother, uncertain of her fate, one moment that expresses this struggle wonderfully is after his marriage to Sofia. In their new apartment, he has her break a glass under her foot - an important part of his heritage and tradition. It's one of a few moments that stands out in my memory of this generally vague book.

Whereas Antonia is characterized largely in a contradiction related to Sofia. Her contradictions are dictated by that dynamic almost in its entirety. I knew by halfway through the book that Antonia would be the one shooting the gun, if only because it was contradictory to her character, not necessarily due to any growth that she went through. Her postpartum depression, a subject which is duly treated with the respect that it deserves, is however still only defined seemingly because Sofia takes naturally to motherhood. While this kind of contrast could have been used effectively, by limiting Sofia and Antonia to only being foils to each other (which I usually adore), she creates reductive characters defined by only how "fiery" Sofia is and how "proper" Antonia is. There are some small contradictions in their paths - Sofia, though driven, has no idea what she wants to do once she completes her schooling, and Antonia, a consummate planner, puts all of that aside instead to have a family - their paths are not nearly as interesting as they would be had they been given just a little more freedom from each other in the narrative.

That being said, however, I felt charmed by the core four characters (Sofia, Antonia, Paolo, and Saul), and the way the drew together. The moments they spent together were some of the most enjoyable in the book.

Spoiler

To speak nothing of the ending. Despite my apathy at the foreknowledge that Antonia would be the gunman, so to speak, I rather enjoyed the execution. I almost wish that this event could have occurred earlier in the story and then had the story continue on with the aftermath, but that would have altered the story beyond what I believe it was intended to be. I would have preferred it, perhaps, but I'm not sure that's here nor there.

The text itself moves quickly enough, and I believe further works by the author have potential to be much more compelling. It's not entirely a write-off, and has some interesting themes.

peegereads's review

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reflective fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

alexysrace's review

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3.0

This book isn’t what I expected exactly, but it was alright. I was hoping to delve more in depth into the mafia involvement and more gritty details and hoped that the ladies were more involved. The book was a very slow burn, but I did find myself caring about Antonia and Sofia. The book really picks up at the very end, but ends too abruptly. I wanted to hear more of a resolution than what was given. The format of the writing was a little strange to me, as well: short blocks of paragraphs at times. Hopping from one perspective or thought to another with just a little white space between the paragraphs. It made the story seem a little disjunct at times. I would be interested in a sequel to see what happened later in the Antonia and Sofia’s lives and the lives of their children (assuming it was more fast paced).

miasutton55's review against another edition

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tense medium-paced

3.0

jegiraudo's review

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

4.0

mervezey's review against another edition

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3.0

A must reade if you habe the patience. This book is about two friends growing up in the Italian mafia in the USA. The story is incredible, but the book was quite slow at times and I would have loved to hear more about the protagonists feeling, especially during their time being young adults. The first half of the book and the last 50 pages were the best parts, in my opinion, since you could see how they were adapting to a new reality after a tragic event in their childhood.