Big Brother

I haven't reviewed a book on here for a LONG time, guys. Incidentally, I now have 4 books lined up that I've read recently and need to tell you about, much to my bro-in-law's dismay. My book posts are his least favorite. But, he's at the beach this week anyway so we'll press on.

Source

Big Brother is the latest offering from Lionel Shriver. She has several other novels to her credit but the one I really liked (though it was super duper dark) was We Need to Talk about Kevin.

Good Reads' Synopsis: "For Pandora, cooking is a form of love. Alas, her husband, Fletcher, a self-employed high-end cabinetmaker, now spurns the “toxic” dishes that he’d savored through their courtship, and devotes hours each day to manic cycling. Then, when Pandora picks up her older brother Edison at the airport, she doesn’t recognize him. In the years since they’ve seen one another, the once slim, hip New York jazz pianist has gained hundreds of pounds. What happened? After Edison has more than overstayed his welcome, Fletcher delivers his wife an ultimatum: It’s him or me.

Rich with Shriver’s distinctive wit and ferocious energy, Big Brother is about fat: an issue both social and excruciatingly personal. It asks just how much sacrifice we'll make to save single members of our families, and whether it's ever possible to save loved ones from themselves."

What I Thought: I wanted to like this so badly. And actually, I did like it up until the ending. There's nothing worse than working your way through a story you think you are enjoying and then being sucker-punched by a terrible ending. TERRIBLE. The writing was good and it's very topical considering the prevalence of obesity in society these days. I still like Shriver but I cannot really recommend this book in good conscience. If you do read it, please let me know if the ending disappointed you as much as it did me.

Rating: * *