Fighting single-handedly to hold together a highly dysfunctional family, a smart, sensitive young man must also face the advent of his adulthood and independence in this insightful and often poignant bildungsroman. On the eve of his 20th birthday, Claude 'Cheevey' Cheever's family is close to collapse. His mother and father live together in a vaguely resentful silence: he's losing himself in the glow of the TV, and she's disappearing into fantasies of a future life in France. Cheevey's bitter older brother avoids the homestead altogether, while his fragile sister has an unhappy family of her own. Cheevey persistently tries to promote communication, but on his birthday, the forces working to sunder the family gain unexpected strength. Through Cheevey's discerning, present-tense narration, DiPego (Keeper of the City) tells an entrancing story that's driven by realistic characters. The young man's wisdom and unshakable love for his family turn a sad tale hopeful and make this a story that will linger in readers' memories.
Publishers Weekly - Cahners\\Publishers_Weekly
Fighting single-handedly to hold together a highly dysfunctional family, a smart, sensitive young man must also face the advent of his adulthood and independence in this insightful and often poignant bildungsroman. On the eve of his 20th birthday, Claude "Cheevey" Cheever's family is close to collapse. His mother and father live together in a vaguely resentful silence: he's losing himself in the glow of the TV, and she's disappearing into fantasies of a future life in France. Cheevey's bitter older brother avoids the homestead altogether, while his fragile sister has an unhappy family of her own. Cheevey persistently tries to promote communication, but on his birthday, the forces working to sunder the family gain unexpected strength. Through Cheevey's discerning, present-tense narration, DiPego (Keeper of the City) tells an entrancing story that's driven by realistic characters. The young man's wisdom and unshakable love for his family turn a sad tale hopeful and make this a story that will linger in readers' memories. Simultaneous audio release from BDD Audio Publishing. (Apr.)
Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly
Screenwriter DiPego's novel tells of a young man's coming of age. "Cheevey" tries everything he can possibly think of doing to keep his dysfunctional family together. As the youngest Cheever, he is the only one who can communicate with all the members of his family. His mother lives for the day when she can move to France; his father, a TV salesman, can think only of his store; his older brother is a no-account builder who dabbles in booze and brawls; and his married sister, mother of one child, is loving but unstable. Shortly before his 20th birthday, Cheevey invites his family and friends to share in the celebration, hoping for harmony. When that day arrives, however, it marks the beginning of the unraveling of the Cheever family. Even though actor Anthony Michael Hall gives this abridged recording a credible narration, it comes across more like a screenplay than a novel. For larger collections.Kristin M. Jacobi, Eastern Connecticut State Univ., Willimantic
Tenderhearted, 20-year-old Claude ("Cheevey" ) Cheever is trying very hard to hold his family together. His parents are mired in a hostile, silent relationship. His taciturn brother, Phil, is drinking heavily and engaging in more than his fair share of barroom brawls. And his sister, Mari, seems to be on the losing end of a struggle to keep her sanity while finishing her dissertation. DiPego's novel has many wonderful scenes, but his background as a screenwriter is all too apparent, for he sells out each and every one of his finely drawn characters for a whole lot of cheap emotion. Given that Cheevey is so crazy about his little nephew, would he really subject the kid to a rooftop police drama? And if Lauren were such a "wise and wonderful" woman, would she really tell a besotted 20-year-old that he could make love to her, but just once? It's precisely because DiPego is a talented writer that some readers will feel so cheated, but odds are that won't stop this easy-to-read melodrama from flying off the shelves.
Heavy family angst from screenwriter DiPego (Keeper of the City, 1997), who manages to pack his latest tale with enough madness, sex, submerged resentment, and secret fears to stock several soap operas for a full season.
Narrator Claude Cheever—Cheevey to us and everyone else—is right on the cusp of 20: still living with Mom and Dad, working nights at Dad's television store, looking for a girlfriend, and eager to grow up. "I'm turning twenty in two weeks. It's a difficult maneuver . . . so much more is expected of a twenty-year old." Like most teenagers, Cheevey sees life as an endless procession of days in which nothing ever happens, but soon enough the wind changes with a vengeance and nearly blows the house down. Out of nowhere, Cheevey's mother announces that she's divorcing his father and moving to France—next week. His sister Mari's delusions are developing into full-fledged schizophrenia, though Cheevey's anal brother-in-law Bob refuses to take note. And Mari's friend Dash seems to want to seduce Cheevey but can't get her act together, so Cheevey seduces the considerably older Lauren (girlfriend of his of big brother Phil) instead. Throughout all of this, no one except Cheevey and Mari seems aware of what's going on, much less willing to talk about it: Cheevey is unable to convince his own brother to come to his birthday party, and his father can't even be bothered to call Mari to tell her about the divorce. As usual, a tragic and senseless death is the only thing that suffices to shake everyone out of their slumber, but here the death serves more as a convenient close of events rather than any indication of some new beginning. The Montagues and Capulets might have learned from their mistakes, but the Cheevers seem simply sad.
Quickly tedious and finally shallow.
