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The Great Perhaps by Joe Meno (view source)
Revision as of 17:35, 29 December 2009
, 17:35, 29 December 2009no edit summary
''The Great Perhaps'' is about a middle class Chicago family having a crisis, just before the Presidential election of 2004. The narrative shifts between the five main characters.
This novel reminded me of another chronicler of American family life, [[:Category:Anne Tyler|Anne Tyler]]. It's not action packed, the story is about the thoughts and reactions of the characters and low key conflict between them as they struggle to understand and communicate with each other. At first I thought it was a novel in which not much happens, but actually, there is quite a lot going on. Each family member will face a turning point which challenges their views of themselves, other family members and other people in their lives. I was surprised by how compelling I found it and how quickly I turned the pages.
Characterisation is a strength of ''The Great Perhaps'', but some characters are more convincingly portrayed than others. Madeline was perhaps the least well-drawn character, I felt I was hearing about her from outside. Henry's wish to escape from a nursing home and head for the airport so he can fly somewhere else turns out to relate to his traumatic experiences as a child member of a German immigrant community during World War II, when whole families deemed to be enemy aliens were interned and forcibly resettled in isolated communities in other parts of the country, such as Crystal City, Texas. I found this historical back story fascinating, and significant – Henry has never really talked about this properly to his son but has passed on his uncertainty and nervousness about life to him.