by Lionel Shriver
Pandora Halfdanarson is obsessed with two things: food and family.
These obsessions are brought to light when her older brother, Edison,
comes to Iowa for an extended visit.
Once a successful jazz
pianist, Edison is now down on his luck and up on the scales. Up is a
nice way to say it. When Pandora last saw him, he weighed around 163.
He now tips the scale at 386. Those 386 pounds can only mean trouble
for the Halfdanarson siblings. . .
You see, Pandora is married
to a health nut. Fletcher eats little and cycles obsessively. He also
makes furniture that is more art than function. And when I say that, I
mean that none of his pieces could ever bear the weight of his
brother-in-law. A health nut + his fragile furniture + a couple of
teenaged stepchildren = lots of family fun for Edison and his sister.
Not.
I do not want to spoil the rest of the novel’s plot. I will
tell you that Pandora desperately wants to help her ailing brother.
She would do anything for him. Anything.
Read this for Shriver’s
examination of family dynamics, as well as her take on America’s
obsession with food. It is interesting.
And prepare yourself to be just a little disappointed with the novel’s ending. Shame on you, Ms. Shriver!
10/8/13
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