Book Review: The Family Tabor

The Family Tabor

by Cherise Wolas

Thank you to Flatiron books for the free advanced reader's copy of The Family Tabor.  All opinions expressed below are my own.

Synopsis:
Harry Tabor, the family patriarch, is being named Man of the Decade in Palm Springs.  To help celebrate the occasion, his family is returning home.  On the surface, the Harry Tabor lives a charmed life - he has a palatial home that he now shares with his wife, Roma, who is a child psychologist.  He also has three successful adult children - attorneys Phoebe and Simon and Camille, an anthropologist.  Instead of being introduced to their glamorized life, the reader is invited into the psyche of each character with no flaws barred.  Each has secrets that they are keeping from their family and the reunion brings everything to the foreground. 

Review:
I was a huge fan of Cherise Wolas' debut novel The Resurrection of Joan Ashby.  It was an epic tome that explored decades of one character's life.  Instead of sticking to this trend, each family member is given a voice in The Family Tabor.  The chapters are told from alternating points of view so that the reader can take turns jumping into each character's skin. 

I tend to enjoy when there are multiple narrators - this gives me a better chance to like and relate to a character.  In The Family Tabor, I found I was able to relate to almost all of the family members.  Do I have anything in common with the characters? Not really, but Ms. Wolas' writing made even Camille, a social anthropologist who has spent a large portion of her adult life living abroad, feel familiar.  While each character is grappling with very unique personal issues, they all feel like issues that I could also be experiencing.  None of the characters are presented as perfect and the characters also have enough self awareness to realize they aren't perfect. 

In the writing of this novel, Cherise Wolas is able to identify many personal struggles that adults deal with and explore how these struggles affect individuals and their families, but she does it in such a nuanced way that, as a reader, you don't always realize its happening.  Why do we find the need to present such pretty and happy pictures to our parents?  Why can't we find love when we want it?  How do we find fulfillment and passion in our professions while also still making a living?  How do we deal with depression?  She explores each character's issues with their internal and external identities, their motivations, and their overall mental status.

The majority of this novel takes place in a span of 24 hours with the ending moving forward a bit.  I'm usually drawn to plot driven narratives, but loved having the time to really explore each character and to learn a little bit about myself along the way.

I highly recommend The Family Tabor, but caution you not to rush your reading of it.  This isn't a book to be binged in one day, but rather to languidly explore when you have the time.  If you loved The Resurrection of Joan Ashby, then I think you will love this one just as much.  If you really are in need of a plot driven novel, then leave this on the shelf until you have more time to explore a character driven novel.