Error loading page.
Try refreshing the page. If that doesn't work, there may be a network issue, and you can use our self test page to see what's preventing the page from loading.
Learn more about possible network issues or contact support for more help.

A Good Family

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available

A dramatic, ambitious first novel of a Midwestern family's self-destruction and repair

Meet the Brunsons of Downers Grove, Illinois: Henry, the once-magical father, whose fear of aging and endangered career lead him to the nightclubs of Chicago's Viagra Triangle; his wife Julie, who struggles to reclaim her life with a bottle of Zoloft and dreams of her youthful independence; Charlie, the golden-boy son, who leaves the lucrative job his father arranged to serve in Afghanistan—and returns angry, damaged, and uncertain of his place in the world; and Barkley, the bumbling youngest, an aspiring writer of geeky science fiction stories who is interviewing for his first job at a forbidding Catholic high school.

When Henry's health abruptly declines, he tries to return to the home and the life he had dominated. But his family—once totally dependent on his love, physical strength, and income—no longer needs him. As Julie, Charlie, and Barkley begin to find their ways forward, Henry tries desperately to bring them back together. In the end, each one will arrive at a new understanding of what family can—and cannot—be.

Unusually assured and perceptive, combining narrative drive with humor, insight, and powerful family dynamics, A Good Family is a memorable debut.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

  • Formats

  • Languages

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      July 13, 2015
      The intricate, complex machinations of a bruised family unit are at the center of Fassnacht's busy, well-executed debut novel. Patriarch Henry Bronson departed the family home in hopes of regaining the freedom he'd once enjoyed as a successful businessman, but the world is now dominated by corporate downsizing, and his disillusionment is crushing. Abandoned wife Julie self-medicates her depression with daily doses of Zoloft, which fog her brain and quell the anxiety of solo-parenting adult sons Charlie and Barkley. Charlie decided years earlier to leave his high-tech management position and enlist in the armed forces, but he returns from his tour in Afghanistan with overwhelming PTSD. Barkley finally enjoys his first crack at love and a rewarding teaching job, while Julie, a former dancer, rekindles her love of performance through teaching studio classes for women over 40. With everyone reunited and attempting to find their way through life without Henry, whose health begins to fail, an incremental unraveling and subsequent catharsis begins. This familial drama is a bit long on descriptive exposition, the author keeps the gears turning as all four characters contribute their separate strifes and their own means of resolution. Fassnacht has created a relatable quartet of interconnected characters in this engrossing and lucid work. Agent: Markus Hoffman, Regal Literary.

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

Loading