A very typical family A novel

Sierra Godfrey

Book - 2022

"A propulsive contemporary women's fiction debut with dark humor and messy yet warm-hearted family dynamics, perfect for fans of Claire Lombardo's The Most Fun We Ever Had and Emma Straub's All Adults Here. All families are messy. Some are disasters. Natalie Walker is the reason her older brother and sister went to prison over 15 years ago. She fled California shortly after that fateful night and hasn't spoken to anyone in her family since. Ten years later--on the same day her boyfriend steals her dream job out from under her--Natalie receives a letter from a lawyer saying her estranged mother has died and left the family's historic Santa Cruz house to her. Sort of. The only way for Natalie and her siblings to ...inherit is for all three adult children to come back and claim it--together. Natalie drives cross-country to Santa Cruz with her willful cat in tow expecting to sign some papers, see siblings Lynn and Jake briefly, and get back to sorting out her life in Boston. But Jake, now an award-winning ornithologist, is missing. And Lynn, working as an undertaker in New York City, shows up with a teenage son. While Natalie and her nephew look for Jake--meeting a very handsome marine biologist who immediately captures her heart--she unpacks the guilt she has held onto for so many years, wondering how-or if-she can salvage a relationship with her siblings after all this time. A Very Typical Family navigates the messy yet warm-hearted journey of a family struggling to find each other again. Written with delightfully dark humor and characters you can't help but cheer for, this debut from Sierra Godfrey will have you reveling in the power of family and second chances. No one can change the past, but every day is an opportunity to choose your future"--

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FICTION/Godfrey Sierra
0 / 1 copies available
Location Call Number   Status
1st Floor FICTION/Godfrey Sierra Due Jul 8, 2024
Subjects
Genres
Domestic fiction
Novels
Published
Naperville, Illinois : Sourcebooks Landmark [2022]
Language
English
Main Author
Sierra Godfrey (author)
Physical Description
341 pages ; 24 cm
ISBN
9781728255200
Contents unavailable.
Review by Booklist Review

Natalie Walker is having a very bad day. She is a 32-year-old woman who just lost a highly coveted promotion (to her boyfriend no less), and she is obliged to reunite with her estranged brother and sister in order to settle a valuable yet dilapidated home left by their late mother in their hometown of Santa Cruz, California. Readers soon find that, despite the title, the Walker family is anything but typical. Natalie called the cops on her older siblings 15 years earlier, irrevocably changing the family dynamics. Though Natalie is eager to go back quickly to Boston to recoup what's left of her career and love life, things get worse when Jake, her brother, disappears, and the legal process stalls. Forced to hunker down at their family home with her sister, Lynn, and her teenage nephew, Kit, Natalie reconnects with gal pals, pursues her artistic passions, and gets close to a ridiculously handsome scientist who works with Jake. Godfrey's relationship-focused debut is atmospheric and uplifting, showcasing the messy life of a likable female lead trying to rebuild family bonds and reinvigorate a life weighed down by guilt. This is a great recommendation for fans of Marian Keyes and Emily Giffin.

From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.