A review by silenttwg
Portrait of a Nuclear Family by J.P. Behrens
5.0
4.5/5 Stars
Well, this was an interesting ride. I saw where it was going but the author did such a fantastic job of laying out the pieces, I had no choice but to strap into the roller coaster and go for the trip. I feel like I've been reading a lot of Suburbia Hellscape stories lately but this one took the cake.
It was a tale of family trauma, mental illness, painful situations, trying to correct devastating wrongs, and well, hopping on the crazy train.
I could understand the drive behind most of the characters, felt they were realistically done, especially given their lives, and the reveal of the true darkness was sad. I didn't understand the actions of the husband. My reaction in his shoes would be dramatically different but the world is full of all kinds of people I suppose.
Now for a big spoiler
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SPOILER ALERT
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The MC's an unreliable narrator. Now, that is a trick that is either a hit or a miss. I think the author pulled it off beautifully here. You get glimpses of it early on if you're paying attention but there is fine line between reality and fantasy in this book. I loved how those details were slowly revealed and it was almost like you kept getting peeks behind the curtains.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would read it again to see how much more can be picked up in a second round. Sad, gut-wrenching, brutal, and recommended.
Well, this was an interesting ride. I saw where it was going but the author did such a fantastic job of laying out the pieces, I had no choice but to strap into the roller coaster and go for the trip. I feel like I've been reading a lot of Suburbia Hellscape stories lately but this one took the cake.
It was a tale of family trauma, mental illness, painful situations, trying to correct devastating wrongs, and well, hopping on the crazy train.
I could understand the drive behind most of the characters, felt they were realistically done, especially given their lives, and the reveal of the true darkness was sad. I didn't understand the actions of the husband. My reaction in his shoes would be dramatically different but the world is full of all kinds of people I suppose.
Now for a big spoiler
*
*
*
SPOILER ALERT
*
*
*
*
*
*
The MC's an unreliable narrator. Now, that is a trick that is either a hit or a miss. I think the author pulled it off beautifully here. You get glimpses of it early on if you're paying attention but there is fine line between reality and fantasy in this book. I loved how those details were slowly revealed and it was almost like you kept getting peeks behind the curtains.
Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I would read it again to see how much more can be picked up in a second round. Sad, gut-wrenching, brutal, and recommended.