A blended family, with cracks running through it, goes through tremendous changes when an uninvited houseguest appears during their summer holiday in British author Ali Smith's The Accidental.
Smith alternates several points of view in this interesting novel; the husband thinks the young woman who appears is his wife's friend, the wife thinks she is her husband's latest conquest, the son sees a potential girlfriend, and the daughter sees a dangerous confidant. Who she really is remains enigmatic, but resonates through the family's summer and beyond.
I enjoyed Smith's voice and her shading of the different characters, overall finding this striking novel about tangled family lives interesting. I think my enjoyment of this novel was magnified by listening to a very fine audiobook adaptation, read by multiple voices.
I borrowed this from the Farmland Public Library in Farmland, Indiana and enjoyed it immensely.
Smith alternates several points of view in this interesting novel; the husband thinks the young woman who appears is his wife's friend, the wife thinks she is her husband's latest conquest, the son sees a potential girlfriend, and the daughter sees a dangerous confidant. Who she really is remains enigmatic, but resonates through the family's summer and beyond.
I enjoyed Smith's voice and her shading of the different characters, overall finding this striking novel about tangled family lives interesting. I think my enjoyment of this novel was magnified by listening to a very fine audiobook adaptation, read by multiple voices.
I borrowed this from the Farmland Public Library in Farmland, Indiana and enjoyed it immensely.
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