THIS IS NOT ABOUT US
by Allegra Goodman
Allegra Goodman has been compared to a modern-day Jane Austen because of her skills observing and writing about people in such a genuine way that the reader connects with her characters as though she knows them. Witty yet poignant storylines strike a chord of recognition that draw us into her books.
In This is Not About Us, Goodman tells the story of three generations of the Rubenstein family. As the book begins, Jeanne, the 70ish youngest sister of Sylvia and Helen, is on her deathbed. After she dies, at the memorial shiva, one of the two remaining sisters brings a home-baked apple cake, which sets off a feud between the two. The repercussions of this argument trickle down through the next generation and even to the next. Goodman captures perfectly the myriad ways people who love each other can intentionally hurt each other by holding years-long grudges about the most insignificant things. With a writing style both amusing and moving, the reader responds to the characters.
This is Not About Us explores the feud’s effects over many interconnected stories, each exploring different family members. There are the two remaining matriarchs, their middle-aged children who have their own life crises to deal with—from divorces to job changes to dating and parenting. And then there are grandchildren, idealistic and impractical, with their whole lives ahead of them. All the many members of the family connected and in need of love and compassion.
Goodman writes with a sharp wit and though all of her characters are flawed, you can’t help but love them because they are just so darned human. This is Not About Us is a refreshing, entertaining read about a family for whom you will feel compassion and understanding. I recommend it highly. (Liz)
