Guest Review: 'The Wentworths' by Katie Arnoldi
The WentworthsBy Katie Arnoldi
ISBN-10: 1585679992
ISBN-13: 978-1585679997
Hardcover, 256 pages
March 13, 2008
Overlook Hardcover
Reviewed by Cynthia Murphy
Every family has its quirks, but the Wentworths seem to have cornered the market on dysfunction. The title family in Katie Arnoldi’s new novel, The Wentworths, has just about every possible problem covered. There are children who never grew up, a controlling mother, an alcoholic father, an insane son, and an abusive womanizer. Other problems in the Wentworth family include adultery, boredom, kleptomania, drug use, and kinky sex. It’s quite a mix for such a short book.
The novel begins with an interesting family tableau at the local police station. Norman, the youngest son, has been arrested in the bushes with another man. (By the way, Norman is dressed as a woman. In fact, he looks very much like his mother at this moment.) The Wentworths are a wealthy California family. They simply cannot have news of this incident leak to the media. Eldest son Conrad pulls some legal strings and makes the problem disappear. Alas, Conrad cannot make his own problems disappear. His relationship with daycare owner Angela Simms has its own twrrible twists and turns. Their combative relationship culminates in an interesting climax that effects the whole family.
The other family members have their own problems. Middle child Becky has an addiction to prescription drugs and serious issues with her husband, Paul. He can be quickly classified as milquetoast. Their children, Monica and Joey, have other problems. Monica hates her mother and has additional anger issues. Joey is a kleptomaniac. He has been stealing for years. The family’s therapy sessions provide some humorous moments.
The Wentworths provide the outward appearance of a happy, well-adjusted family. In reality they are the exact opposite. Arnoldi reveals their problems through shifts in narration. Every character, including the family maid, Rosa, narrates at least one chapter. The most clear-eyed views of the Wentworths come from Rosa and Norman’s crazy babble. The constant shifts in narration create a multifaceted novel. Each shift provides a different inshight into the characters. The shifts in narration are also accompanied by witty chapter titles. This adds a bit of humor to the book.
The Wentworths is a very funny novel. Most of the humor comes from the situations and irony. One of the funniest parts of the novel involves Judith’s obsessive search for a set of tongs. After they disappear from a family dinner, she searches relentlessly for them. Meanwhile, her family is falling apart. However, the search for the tongs is of the utmost importance.
This is a fun book, but it is not for the faint of heart. Arnoldi does not shy away from depicting her characters’ problems in great detail. This works, but considered yourself warned if you are at all squeamish. The Wentworths is an entertaining read, and it will probably make you feel much better about your own family.
The novel begins with an interesting family tableau at the local police station. Norman, the youngest son, has been arrested in the bushes with another man. (By the way, Norman is dressed as a woman. In fact, he looks very much like his mother at this moment.) The Wentworths are a wealthy California family. They simply cannot have news of this incident leak to the media. Eldest son Conrad pulls some legal strings and makes the problem disappear. Alas, Conrad cannot make his own problems disappear. His relationship with daycare owner Angela Simms has its own twrrible twists and turns. Their combative relationship culminates in an interesting climax that effects the whole family.
The other family members have their own problems. Middle child Becky has an addiction to prescription drugs and serious issues with her husband, Paul. He can be quickly classified as milquetoast. Their children, Monica and Joey, have other problems. Monica hates her mother and has additional anger issues. Joey is a kleptomaniac. He has been stealing for years. The family’s therapy sessions provide some humorous moments.
The Wentworths provide the outward appearance of a happy, well-adjusted family. In reality they are the exact opposite. Arnoldi reveals their problems through shifts in narration. Every character, including the family maid, Rosa, narrates at least one chapter. The most clear-eyed views of the Wentworths come from Rosa and Norman’s crazy babble. The constant shifts in narration create a multifaceted novel. Each shift provides a different inshight into the characters. The shifts in narration are also accompanied by witty chapter titles. This adds a bit of humor to the book.
The Wentworths is a very funny novel. Most of the humor comes from the situations and irony. One of the funniest parts of the novel involves Judith’s obsessive search for a set of tongs. After they disappear from a family dinner, she searches relentlessly for them. Meanwhile, her family is falling apart. However, the search for the tongs is of the utmost importance.
This is a fun book, but it is not for the faint of heart. Arnoldi does not shy away from depicting her characters’ problems in great detail. This works, but considered yourself warned if you are at all squeamish. The Wentworths is an entertaining read, and it will probably make you feel much better about your own family.
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1 comments:
I love these family saga-type books! Thanks for the review!
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