What do you think?
Rate this book
The Exact Nature of Our Wrongs
By a National Book Award finalist for fiction: A warm, dramatic, intimate new novel of a family divided and united by its most vulnerable member.
Janet Peery’s first novel, The River Beyond the World, was a National Book Award finalist in 1996. Acclaimed for her gorgeous writing and clear-eyed gaze into the hearts of people, Peery now returns with her second novel, The Exact Nature of Our Wrongs.
On a summer evening in the blue-collar town of Amicus, Kansas, the Campbell family gathers for a birthday dinner for their ailing patriarch, town judge Abel Campbell, prepared and hosted by their still-hale mother Hattie. But when Billy, the youngest sibling—with a history of addiction, grand ideas, and misdemeanors—passes out in his devil’s food cake, the family takes up the unfinished business of Billy’s sobriety.
Billy’s misadventures have too long consumed their lives, in particular Hattie’s, who has enabled his transgressions while trying to save him from Abel’s disappointment. As the older children—Doro, Jesse, ClairBell, and Gideon—contend with their own failures, they compete for the approval of the elderly parents they adore, but can’t quite forgive.
With knowing humor and sure-handed storytelling, Janet Peery reveals a family at its best and worst, with old wounds and new, its fractures and feuds, and yet its unbreakable bonds.
Janet Peery’s first novel, The River Beyond the World, was a National Book Award finalist in 1996. Acclaimed for her gorgeous writing and clear-eyed gaze into the hearts of people, Peery now returns with her second novel, The Exact Nature of Our Wrongs.
On a summer evening in the blue-collar town of Amicus, Kansas, the Campbell family gathers for a birthday dinner for their ailing patriarch, town judge Abel Campbell, prepared and hosted by their still-hale mother Hattie. But when Billy, the youngest sibling—with a history of addiction, grand ideas, and misdemeanors—passes out in his devil’s food cake, the family takes up the unfinished business of Billy’s sobriety.
Billy’s misadventures have too long consumed their lives, in particular Hattie’s, who has enabled his transgressions while trying to save him from Abel’s disappointment. As the older children—Doro, Jesse, ClairBell, and Gideon—contend with their own failures, they compete for the approval of the elderly parents they adore, but can’t quite forgive.
With knowing humor and sure-handed storytelling, Janet Peery reveals a family at its best and worst, with old wounds and new, its fractures and feuds, and yet its unbreakable bonds.
288 pages, Hardcover
First published September 19, 2017
49 people are currently reading
1476 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews
Read
August 5, 2017Have decided to put this aside at 25% as I am not connecting with the characters nor the scenarios within.
December 2, 2017
“The Exact Nature of Our Wrongs” is a story of the incredibly dysfunctional Campbell clan. Author Janet Peery’s creation of the Campbell clan is dazzling. It is rare to read such a consuming novel about a family that is almost beyond redemption yet not off-putting.
Retired judge Able Campbell and his passive and enabling wife Hattie lead the Campbell family. Four of the five Campbell siblings suffer from addiction of some sort, drug, alcohol, or both. All but the eldest, Doro (who is the clean sibling) live near their parents in the blue-collar town of Amicus, Kansas. Able is judgmental, unforgiving, and manipulative. He encourages the children to vie for his affections. Meanwhile, Hattie loves her youngest boy, Billy, the most and has no issue making that clear. The siblings are constant in their need for parental affection; it’s pathetic to read. Billy is a walking nightmare of addiction and abuse of his dotting mother. Yes, Billy plays Hattie like a violin, making her an accessory to all his tragedies. Hattie bails Billy out of all the messes he gets himself into, providing shelter from her judgmental husband. The adult children harbor simmering resentments against each other; they use subterfuge in art form.
Peery is known for her literary abilities in exposing humanity clearly and beautifully. She does it again in this novel. It almost like she has an inside view of the fragilities of families who manage to function in the most dysfunctional way.
Retired judge Able Campbell and his passive and enabling wife Hattie lead the Campbell family. Four of the five Campbell siblings suffer from addiction of some sort, drug, alcohol, or both. All but the eldest, Doro (who is the clean sibling) live near their parents in the blue-collar town of Amicus, Kansas. Able is judgmental, unforgiving, and manipulative. He encourages the children to vie for his affections. Meanwhile, Hattie loves her youngest boy, Billy, the most and has no issue making that clear. The siblings are constant in their need for parental affection; it’s pathetic to read. Billy is a walking nightmare of addiction and abuse of his dotting mother. Yes, Billy plays Hattie like a violin, making her an accessory to all his tragedies. Hattie bails Billy out of all the messes he gets himself into, providing shelter from her judgmental husband. The adult children harbor simmering resentments against each other; they use subterfuge in art form.
Peery is known for her literary abilities in exposing humanity clearly and beautifully. She does it again in this novel. It almost like she has an inside view of the fragilities of families who manage to function in the most dysfunctional way.
May 2, 2017
This is the first book that I've read by Janet Peery and I want to thank goodreads for a copy to read and review.
This is a wonderful family drama that looks into the dynamics of a family and tries to help us understand why the family members act like they do. It's a family made up of parents Hattie and Able, who are now in their late 80s, and their 5 middle-aged children. There is the normal squabbling that takes place in families over things like who is the favorite and remembered slights from childhood but this family's problems are even deeper due to drugs, alcohol and divorces. The mother definitely plays favorites and is a real enabler for her youngest son Billy. something that her husband and the rest of the children resent. As the patriarch of the family gets sicker, all of the family problems bubble to the surface to be dealt with once again.
This book looks deeply into what makes families work. Despite all of the issues and problems in this family, there is strong love and unbreakable bonds that hold them together as a family.
This is a wonderful family drama that looks into the dynamics of a family and tries to help us understand why the family members act like they do. It's a family made up of parents Hattie and Able, who are now in their late 80s, and their 5 middle-aged children. There is the normal squabbling that takes place in families over things like who is the favorite and remembered slights from childhood but this family's problems are even deeper due to drugs, alcohol and divorces. The mother definitely plays favorites and is a real enabler for her youngest son Billy. something that her husband and the rest of the children resent. As the patriarch of the family gets sicker, all of the family problems bubble to the surface to be dealt with once again.
This book looks deeply into what makes families work. Despite all of the issues and problems in this family, there is strong love and unbreakable bonds that hold them together as a family.
September 28, 2017
With American opioid drug use reaching astounding levels by 2016, government officials have vowed to provide funding to meet the challenges to fight this epidemic that has claimed so many lives. “The Exact Nature of Our Wrongs” (2017) is a dramatic and provocative portrayal of family life and addiction in the American heartland by Janet Peery, an award winning and bestselling short story writer and novelist. Peery’s debut “Alligator Dance: Stories” (1998) remains in print, this is her fourth book.
The Campbell’s lived in Amicus, Kansas. The patriarch of the family, an elderly retired judge/attorney Abel Campbell was a WWII veteran that served in Saipan. With a quick and brilliant mind, he studied science and physics. He was a “man’s man” an outdoorsman that enjoyed hunting/fishing. Abel, a perfectionist, had high exact standards for behavior and was profoundly disappointed in his baby boom generation adult children who had brought shame to their once respected family name he had worked diligently to preserve. Often, from the bench and with other connections, his family members had to be excused from legal charges and violations.
Hattie, married for over sixty years to Abel had tried to shield her children from their father’s scathing wrath and judgment. As a daughter of pioneers, she was thoughtful and kind serving her community through church and civic duties. With all the scandals involving her adult children’s multiple divorces, public intoxication, DUI’s, drug/alcohol related embarrassing public confrontations, firearms violations, foreclosures, and family estrangement when “family problems” were brought to light-- Hattie was deeply troubled over these issues. In her late 80’s with a heart condition, she prayed that she would outlive her youngest son Billy, who was often unable to pay his rent or buy groceries.
The oldest daughter “Doro” (Theodora) had relocated to the east coast, and had successfully raised two daughters as a single parent. Smart and literary minded, she loved poetry and literature, wrote Western novels under a pen-name, and had a great job working at a college in her community. Doro's siblings viewed her as a goody two shoes and know it all, so she had to watch her critical opinions of her siblings carefully. Doro returned to Kanas with greater frequency to help with her elderly parents increasing hospitalizations and health issues, and additional alarming family problems.
Jesse: the oldest son since their brother Nick had passed away. Nick's premature death was due to a genetic heart condition combined with sepsis, and not his heroin addiction. Jesse, a brooding moody man had tried to keep his alcohol consumption under control. His family didn’t approve of his renting a room in his house to Patsy Gaddy, a floosy who had broken his heart numerous times.
Gideon: A menacing darkness in his character caused others to avoid him. His sister called him the “Uni-Bomber”. Still, he was thoughtful and concerned about his family, and sincerely tried to help. He usually carried a flask of alcohol tucked inside his coat pocket.
ClairBell: Fiercely devoted to her parents, opinionated, obnoxious, judgmental, and very jealous of anyone who had the slightest advantage over her, real or imagined. The large amount of pills she took were prescribed by a doctor. ClairBell spent most of her days on her couch, affected by a variety of ailments; she loved bingo, blackjack, and yard sales, and never hesitated too loudly voice her thoughts and ideas.
Billy: The youngest 40-something, at one time or another, had ingested every illegal substance known to man. He was a confident happy-go-lucky flamboyant gay man, and used his charm and colorful personality to get the money he needed to buy drugs. Everyone loved him, and likely felt sorry for him because of his HIV status, his life prolonged for decades by AZT drug therapy. Billy's siblings were most anxious to get him admitted to a rehab facility.
This novel was never meant to be a pleasant feel good type story. Rather, the focus is on addictive behavior patterns: such as co-dependency, enabling, control and manipulation, scapegoating, lying and other problems that impact families with substance and alcohol related issues. The Campbell’s needed to unite as a family—set aside differences, and deal constructively with themselves and each other, as this expertly developed storyline evolved and boldly moved to a realistic and unforgettable conclusion.
**With thanks and appreciation to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for the direct e-copy for the purpose of review.
The Campbell’s lived in Amicus, Kansas. The patriarch of the family, an elderly retired judge/attorney Abel Campbell was a WWII veteran that served in Saipan. With a quick and brilliant mind, he studied science and physics. He was a “man’s man” an outdoorsman that enjoyed hunting/fishing. Abel, a perfectionist, had high exact standards for behavior and was profoundly disappointed in his baby boom generation adult children who had brought shame to their once respected family name he had worked diligently to preserve. Often, from the bench and with other connections, his family members had to be excused from legal charges and violations.
Hattie, married for over sixty years to Abel had tried to shield her children from their father’s scathing wrath and judgment. As a daughter of pioneers, she was thoughtful and kind serving her community through church and civic duties. With all the scandals involving her adult children’s multiple divorces, public intoxication, DUI’s, drug/alcohol related embarrassing public confrontations, firearms violations, foreclosures, and family estrangement when “family problems” were brought to light-- Hattie was deeply troubled over these issues. In her late 80’s with a heart condition, she prayed that she would outlive her youngest son Billy, who was often unable to pay his rent or buy groceries.
The oldest daughter “Doro” (Theodora) had relocated to the east coast, and had successfully raised two daughters as a single parent. Smart and literary minded, she loved poetry and literature, wrote Western novels under a pen-name, and had a great job working at a college in her community. Doro's siblings viewed her as a goody two shoes and know it all, so she had to watch her critical opinions of her siblings carefully. Doro returned to Kanas with greater frequency to help with her elderly parents increasing hospitalizations and health issues, and additional alarming family problems.
Jesse: the oldest son since their brother Nick had passed away. Nick's premature death was due to a genetic heart condition combined with sepsis, and not his heroin addiction. Jesse, a brooding moody man had tried to keep his alcohol consumption under control. His family didn’t approve of his renting a room in his house to Patsy Gaddy, a floosy who had broken his heart numerous times.
Gideon: A menacing darkness in his character caused others to avoid him. His sister called him the “Uni-Bomber”. Still, he was thoughtful and concerned about his family, and sincerely tried to help. He usually carried a flask of alcohol tucked inside his coat pocket.
ClairBell: Fiercely devoted to her parents, opinionated, obnoxious, judgmental, and very jealous of anyone who had the slightest advantage over her, real or imagined. The large amount of pills she took were prescribed by a doctor. ClairBell spent most of her days on her couch, affected by a variety of ailments; she loved bingo, blackjack, and yard sales, and never hesitated too loudly voice her thoughts and ideas.
Billy: The youngest 40-something, at one time or another, had ingested every illegal substance known to man. He was a confident happy-go-lucky flamboyant gay man, and used his charm and colorful personality to get the money he needed to buy drugs. Everyone loved him, and likely felt sorry for him because of his HIV status, his life prolonged for decades by AZT drug therapy. Billy's siblings were most anxious to get him admitted to a rehab facility.
This novel was never meant to be a pleasant feel good type story. Rather, the focus is on addictive behavior patterns: such as co-dependency, enabling, control and manipulation, scapegoating, lying and other problems that impact families with substance and alcohol related issues. The Campbell’s needed to unite as a family—set aside differences, and deal constructively with themselves and each other, as this expertly developed storyline evolved and boldly moved to a realistic and unforgettable conclusion.
**With thanks and appreciation to St. Martin’s Press via NetGalley for the direct e-copy for the purpose of review.
December 2, 2017
The place is Amicus, Kansas; the Campbell family has come together to celebrate the birthday of their frail, ancient patriarch, Abel. Ultimately, though, their attention is drawn, unavoidably, to the youngest among them. Billy is a walking pharmacy, but he won’t be walking anywhere for much longer if something isn’t done.
I read this book free and early thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press. If I had paid full retail price, it would have been worth every red cent. It had me at hello, and performed a miracle of sorts by rendering me temporarily speechless; I had to gather my thoughts and look at my notes before I could comment.
But back to the Campbells of Kansas. Everyone has known for some time about Billy’s dependency issues; he’s been riding the roller coaster of addiction for many years. Billy’s father wants to take a hard line with him, while his mother, Hattie, just wants to bring him home and tuck him into the guest bedroom. Brother Jesse objects, “He’s forty-fricking-seven, Mom.”
Elder daughter Doro, who is sixty and perhaps the only sane, normal person in the family, is concerned for her mother, who is past eighty and has already had a heart attack. Doro reminds her mother that the family has had its problems before and will have them again; at some point, Hattie has to let go. Either let the siblings help Billy, or let Billy help himself. Hattie cannot do it forever.
The setting of Amicus and the time period we see as we reach back into the family’s history is well rendered, but remains discreetly in the background as it should, not hijacking the story. The story itself is based on character, not just of any one person, but of the family itself. By the twenty percent mark I feel as if I have known these people all my life. The full range of emotion is in play as I immerse myself in this intimate novel, and there are many places that make me laugh out loud.
It isn’t too long before I can identify someone I know that is a Hattie, and someone that is a Billy. Given the widespread horror of opiate addiction, I will bet you a dollar that you know someone too.
But before the halfway mark is reached, a terrible sense of dread comes over me, an aha moment I would not wish on my worst enemy. I begin to sense that perhaps I am Hattie. And within a week of having read this epic story, my eldest child calls and tells me that he’s had a phone call from his younger sibling’s dealer, a man that flatly states, “I don’t want your brother on my conscience, man. I won’t sell to him anymore, but I’m telling you, there are plenty of others that do. You gotta do something, cause he’s out of control.”
Generally, I do not include personal notes in my reviews, because that’s not generally what the reader is looking for. But here I have chosen to do so because this problem is everywhere. In the case of Billy Campbell, there’s a complicating factor: Billy is HIV positive and has been since he was 21. And again, I suspect that for many others, such issues also blur the distinction between medical treatment of some sort, and addiction.
I hope that you can get this book and enjoy it for its sly humor, brilliant word-smithery, and unmatchable character development. It’s excellent fiction, just exactly right for a chilly autumn evening in your favorite chair or snuggled beneath the quilts. But for me, it is valuable as a wake-up call, and it will do the same for many other readers also—I have no doubt.
It’s the right story, at the right time.
I read this book free and early thanks to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press. If I had paid full retail price, it would have been worth every red cent. It had me at hello, and performed a miracle of sorts by rendering me temporarily speechless; I had to gather my thoughts and look at my notes before I could comment.
But back to the Campbells of Kansas. Everyone has known for some time about Billy’s dependency issues; he’s been riding the roller coaster of addiction for many years. Billy’s father wants to take a hard line with him, while his mother, Hattie, just wants to bring him home and tuck him into the guest bedroom. Brother Jesse objects, “He’s forty-fricking-seven, Mom.”
Elder daughter Doro, who is sixty and perhaps the only sane, normal person in the family, is concerned for her mother, who is past eighty and has already had a heart attack. Doro reminds her mother that the family has had its problems before and will have them again; at some point, Hattie has to let go. Either let the siblings help Billy, or let Billy help himself. Hattie cannot do it forever.
The setting of Amicus and the time period we see as we reach back into the family’s history is well rendered, but remains discreetly in the background as it should, not hijacking the story. The story itself is based on character, not just of any one person, but of the family itself. By the twenty percent mark I feel as if I have known these people all my life. The full range of emotion is in play as I immerse myself in this intimate novel, and there are many places that make me laugh out loud.
It isn’t too long before I can identify someone I know that is a Hattie, and someone that is a Billy. Given the widespread horror of opiate addiction, I will bet you a dollar that you know someone too.
But before the halfway mark is reached, a terrible sense of dread comes over me, an aha moment I would not wish on my worst enemy. I begin to sense that perhaps I am Hattie. And within a week of having read this epic story, my eldest child calls and tells me that he’s had a phone call from his younger sibling’s dealer, a man that flatly states, “I don’t want your brother on my conscience, man. I won’t sell to him anymore, but I’m telling you, there are plenty of others that do. You gotta do something, cause he’s out of control.”
Generally, I do not include personal notes in my reviews, because that’s not generally what the reader is looking for. But here I have chosen to do so because this problem is everywhere. In the case of Billy Campbell, there’s a complicating factor: Billy is HIV positive and has been since he was 21. And again, I suspect that for many others, such issues also blur the distinction between medical treatment of some sort, and addiction.
I hope that you can get this book and enjoy it for its sly humor, brilliant word-smithery, and unmatchable character development. It’s excellent fiction, just exactly right for a chilly autumn evening in your favorite chair or snuggled beneath the quilts. But for me, it is valuable as a wake-up call, and it will do the same for many other readers also—I have no doubt.
It’s the right story, at the right time.
September 28, 2017
Genre: Adult Fiction
Pub. Date: September 19, 2017
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press.
Tolstoy's begins “Anna Karenina” with his now famous first line of "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." That opening is a fitting way to begin this review. The author, Janet Peery, is a National Book Award finalist in 1996. In this character-driven novel, her work has shades of Jonathan Franzen’s, “The Corrections.” “Exact Nature” is a family drama that looks into the dynamics of a family in Kansas as the parents enter their sunset years. The wife has been a homemaker and her husband is a retired judge who is now showing signs of dementia. They had six children but lost one child decades earlier after a lifetime of health issues. The surviving five adult children are well into middle age and learning how to cope with their aging parents. Unfortunately, their children might be living in their middle-aged bodies, but seem trapped within their ten-year-old minds, filled with sibling rivalry. The children (still in competition for being the favorite) all have eyes on their parents’ estate that they hope to inherit, especially one special chair of their father’s.
In an obvious attempt to obtain the chair, the youngest daughter suggests hosting an 89th birthday party for the father. She innocently suggests bringing the chair over to her home so he can sit in it during the party. The siblings all see right through this and they are annoyed. The reader is chuckling. At the party, the youngest, their mother's favorite, passes out in the birthday cake. The youngest is a charming, sweet, gay man who is also hopelessly drug-addicted. They realize once again they will need to drag him to rehab. But it soon becomes clear that, although the youngest is the designated problem child, all the children have issues. Unlike the youngest, they are functioning, but still struggle with prescription drugs, maintaining long-term relationships, foreclosure, DUIs (thank goodness the judge still has some influence), and a hidden sexual identity issue. None are shining stars. In other words, they are your typical dysfunctional family, and they are all unhappy in their own way. But here is the thing: they are as caring as they are troubled. And throughout the story, just when you think they are terrible to one another, you come to see their unbreakable bonds. You will giggle when the daughters take their mom on a “mother-daughter” day road trip to see her childhood home. They almost kill each other through bickering, yet the end result is heartwarming.
In beautiful prose, Perry, gives us a portrayal of real life, with characters as flawed as real people. We are given an authentic year in their lives, complete with medical, emotional, mental, physical, and financial troubles. I found this novel to be a spot-on family portrait, with its members still loving each other for who they are. A story about forgiveness without being preachy, it left me with lingering warmth. This is a good book to help one remember that in today’s world we all seem obsessed with appearing perfect, when in reality none of us are or ever will be. The youngest son spends time wondering how there can be so many troubles in a family built around a marriage that seemed troubleless by comparison. He is unable to find an answer. The reader is free to make their own conclusion, for Perry does not tell us. We are left with the thought-provoking question of just what makes a family a happy or unhappy one. It may not be as simple as Tolstoy suggested.
I received this novel from the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
Find all my reviews at https://books6259.wordpress.com/
Find all my reviews at https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
Pub. Date: September 19, 2017
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press.
Tolstoy's begins “Anna Karenina” with his now famous first line of "Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way." That opening is a fitting way to begin this review. The author, Janet Peery, is a National Book Award finalist in 1996. In this character-driven novel, her work has shades of Jonathan Franzen’s, “The Corrections.” “Exact Nature” is a family drama that looks into the dynamics of a family in Kansas as the parents enter their sunset years. The wife has been a homemaker and her husband is a retired judge who is now showing signs of dementia. They had six children but lost one child decades earlier after a lifetime of health issues. The surviving five adult children are well into middle age and learning how to cope with their aging parents. Unfortunately, their children might be living in their middle-aged bodies, but seem trapped within their ten-year-old minds, filled with sibling rivalry. The children (still in competition for being the favorite) all have eyes on their parents’ estate that they hope to inherit, especially one special chair of their father’s.
In an obvious attempt to obtain the chair, the youngest daughter suggests hosting an 89th birthday party for the father. She innocently suggests bringing the chair over to her home so he can sit in it during the party. The siblings all see right through this and they are annoyed. The reader is chuckling. At the party, the youngest, their mother's favorite, passes out in the birthday cake. The youngest is a charming, sweet, gay man who is also hopelessly drug-addicted. They realize once again they will need to drag him to rehab. But it soon becomes clear that, although the youngest is the designated problem child, all the children have issues. Unlike the youngest, they are functioning, but still struggle with prescription drugs, maintaining long-term relationships, foreclosure, DUIs (thank goodness the judge still has some influence), and a hidden sexual identity issue. None are shining stars. In other words, they are your typical dysfunctional family, and they are all unhappy in their own way. But here is the thing: they are as caring as they are troubled. And throughout the story, just when you think they are terrible to one another, you come to see their unbreakable bonds. You will giggle when the daughters take their mom on a “mother-daughter” day road trip to see her childhood home. They almost kill each other through bickering, yet the end result is heartwarming.
In beautiful prose, Perry, gives us a portrayal of real life, with characters as flawed as real people. We are given an authentic year in their lives, complete with medical, emotional, mental, physical, and financial troubles. I found this novel to be a spot-on family portrait, with its members still loving each other for who they are. A story about forgiveness without being preachy, it left me with lingering warmth. This is a good book to help one remember that in today’s world we all seem obsessed with appearing perfect, when in reality none of us are or ever will be. The youngest son spends time wondering how there can be so many troubles in a family built around a marriage that seemed troubleless by comparison. He is unable to find an answer. The reader is free to make their own conclusion, for Perry does not tell us. We are left with the thought-provoking question of just what makes a family a happy or unhappy one. It may not be as simple as Tolstoy suggested.
I received this novel from the publisher at no cost in exchange for an honest review.
Find all my reviews at https://books6259.wordpress.com/
Find all my reviews at https://www.goodreads.com/review/list...
October 6, 2017
Gorgeous book! I've read all of Janet Peery's books, and I've loved them all, but I think this might be her finest. Or maybe I was just so thirsty for her sentences, with syntax so taut that they sing. It is a beautiful portrait of an adult family doing the dysfunctional dance, but it isn't just a character study, it also has a nice plot driving it as well. Definitely well worth the read.
January 31, 2018
I won this depressing novel from Goodreads. It’s book about a dysfunctional family that is divided by addiction, alcoholism and jealousy. This was not an uplifting read and a struggle to finish. There was not one likeable character as they all needed to be locked up or in rehab!
May 28, 2017
This story is a character study about a family--elderly parents and middle-aged children--and the changes and trials they go through over the course of a couple years. The father is a type-A, "Greatest Generation" patriarch, and the mother tries to do the difficult job of keeping the oft-dysfunctional family on good terms with each other, especially doting on her HIV-positive youngest son (who is also an addict). Drugs and addiction is a major theme here, as well as enablement, grudges, favoritism, birth order, aging, death, beliefs about the afterlife, etc. Sometimes it veers toward "drama," but the treatment of many of these themes still interested me.
Overall, I think the story manages to be realistic (as well as bleak at times) without being too much of a downer. It takes heavy topics and puts human faces on them. I like how the title serves to, in a way, end the story with a philosophical question mark. That doesn't work for every story, but it does here.
One thing I noticed after a while is that the narrative of this story tends to veer more toward "summary." Which is fine overall, but in some cases I thought that I wasn't being quite trusted as a reader to come to conclusions about the characters' personalities or motivations on my own, since so much of it was "told" to me (though not told badly). For example, it isn't until the second-to-last chapter that we really get a lengthy scene with Billy. I felt like I could "see" him so much better after that, but by that point the book is almost over. Before that, he mostly appears in shorter scenes, summaries, and in the summaries of others' thoughts about him. Just an observation--it's certainly a feat to portray five children and two parents convincingly, both collectively and individually. I probably won't read this again, but it was a thought-provoking portrayal.
In compliance with FTC guidelines, I disclose that I received this book for free through GoodReads' First Reads.
Overall, I think the story manages to be realistic (as well as bleak at times) without being too much of a downer. It takes heavy topics and puts human faces on them. I like how the title serves to, in a way, end the story with a philosophical question mark. That doesn't work for every story, but it does here.
One thing I noticed after a while is that the narrative of this story tends to veer more toward "summary." Which is fine overall, but in some cases I thought that I wasn't being quite trusted as a reader to come to conclusions about the characters' personalities or motivations on my own, since so much of it was "told" to me (though not told badly). For example, it isn't until the second-to-last chapter that we really get a lengthy scene with Billy. I felt like I could "see" him so much better after that, but by that point the book is almost over. Before that, he mostly appears in shorter scenes, summaries, and in the summaries of others' thoughts about him. Just an observation--it's certainly a feat to portray five children and two parents convincingly, both collectively and individually. I probably won't read this again, but it was a thought-provoking portrayal.
In compliance with FTC guidelines, I disclose that I received this book for free through GoodReads' First Reads.
May 24, 2017
Hattie Campbell, the matriarch of an extremely dysfunctional family, won't stop enabling her beloved youngest son's drug problem. The rest of the family resents her for it, even though most of them have substance abuse issues of their own. Abel, her husband, is in poor health, and the rest of the family resents him for his prideful, standoffish nature. Actually, The Exact Nature of Our Wrongs is pretty much the story of a family where everyone resents everyone else for something or other.
This book had the annoying tone of that writer in your MFA class who is so proud of their clever wordplay that they don't care if the words make a coherent story or not. For at least the first two-thirds of the book, the omniscient narration bounces from perspective to perspective so quickly that you never have to wonder what anyone’s thinking and never wander too deeply into someone’s mind. We're told lots and lots of backstory, but the characters are so over-the-top and unlikable that it's hard to care. I really had to force myself to keep reading.
As the book goes on, the manic perspective-switching slows down a bit. Here the writing is sensitive and effective; it was this last third that bumped it up to three stars for me. Had the entire story been written from Hattie's perspective, with much more of the action dramatized instead of told in narrative, it could have been a very moving story.
(I received an advance copy of this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
This book had the annoying tone of that writer in your MFA class who is so proud of their clever wordplay that they don't care if the words make a coherent story or not. For at least the first two-thirds of the book, the omniscient narration bounces from perspective to perspective so quickly that you never have to wonder what anyone’s thinking and never wander too deeply into someone’s mind. We're told lots and lots of backstory, but the characters are so over-the-top and unlikable that it's hard to care. I really had to force myself to keep reading.
As the book goes on, the manic perspective-switching slows down a bit. Here the writing is sensitive and effective; it was this last third that bumped it up to three stars for me. Had the entire story been written from Hattie's perspective, with much more of the action dramatized instead of told in narrative, it could have been a very moving story.
(I received an advance copy of this book for free through a Goodreads giveaway.)
August 17, 2017
I'm of at least two minds about this book, which is fitting because it has many, many characters steering it.
On one hand, or mind (if we want to keep the metaphor consistent), the language of this book is extremely lyrical and precise-- and, to my Midwestern American sensibility, true to the place. There are all of the trappings of small-town Kansas here, including macaroni salad, coffee cans composters, and addictions, hidden or otherwise.
On the other hand/mind, the narration of the book in the omniscient perspective constantly drew attention to itself and, thus, drew me out of the story. The author switched between character views many times on some pages, sometimes within the same paragraph. I often felt disjointed or dragged about while reading.
On a third hand that I've somehow sprouted, these characters feel real, as real as the place. I understand the desperation of Hattie to keep it all together and Doro to rise above it all.
Finally, however, the plot didn't engage me. Other readers will, no doubt, have other opinions on this point.
Over all, a read in line with THE CORRECTIONS-- heavy lyricism, heavy family drama, some surprisingly comic moments, but not for everyone.
Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
On one hand, or mind (if we want to keep the metaphor consistent), the language of this book is extremely lyrical and precise-- and, to my Midwestern American sensibility, true to the place. There are all of the trappings of small-town Kansas here, including macaroni salad, coffee cans composters, and addictions, hidden or otherwise.
On the other hand/mind, the narration of the book in the omniscient perspective constantly drew attention to itself and, thus, drew me out of the story. The author switched between character views many times on some pages, sometimes within the same paragraph. I often felt disjointed or dragged about while reading.
On a third hand that I've somehow sprouted, these characters feel real, as real as the place. I understand the desperation of Hattie to keep it all together and Doro to rise above it all.
Finally, however, the plot didn't engage me. Other readers will, no doubt, have other opinions on this point.
Over all, a read in line with THE CORRECTIONS-- heavy lyricism, heavy family drama, some surprisingly comic moments, but not for everyone.
Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
May 17, 2017
ARC Received courtesy of Goodreads.com First Reads Giveaway
As member of a family, it's what we do; we keep track of the exact nature of the wrongs we feel are done to us by parents and siblings. This is the story of the Campbell family. As Able and Hattie grow old, their children try to come to terms with the hurts inflicted by the others.
The Judge, Abel, never suffered fools lightly and his children often still feel the fools. Hattie loved her youngest son, Billy, the most and enable some terrible behavior. Each of the the children has secrets, addictions and feelings they try to hide from everyone else. This family is no different from most families--under it all, there is great hurt and great love.
As Hattie looks back on her marriage of over 70 years, she realizes that it was never ideal, sometimes it wasn't even good. It's just marriage. Similarly, while we have great highs and great lows as a family, it's family, it's where we are our best and our worst.
As member of a family, it's what we do; we keep track of the exact nature of the wrongs we feel are done to us by parents and siblings. This is the story of the Campbell family. As Able and Hattie grow old, their children try to come to terms with the hurts inflicted by the others.
The Judge, Abel, never suffered fools lightly and his children often still feel the fools. Hattie loved her youngest son, Billy, the most and enable some terrible behavior. Each of the the children has secrets, addictions and feelings they try to hide from everyone else. This family is no different from most families--under it all, there is great hurt and great love.
As Hattie looks back on her marriage of over 70 years, she realizes that it was never ideal, sometimes it wasn't even good. It's just marriage. Similarly, while we have great highs and great lows as a family, it's family, it's where we are our best and our worst.
June 7, 2017
Tolstoy's famous beginning to ANNA KARENINA ---"Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way"--may not be accurate, but it is true that unhappy families provide endless fodder for literary fiction. From WE WERE THE MULVANEYS to OLIVE KITTERAGE the reader becomes mired in unique networks of struggling kin.
THE EXACT NATURE OF OUR WRONGS plunges into the dysfunctional world of the Campbells. Jealousy, addiction, alcoholism and disease make for a dark mix which spirals, seeming to return over and over to the same place. This dark repetition is tempered by moments of humor, grace, love and epiphany. There is some light at the end of this tunnel. Although no reader's family will exactly mirror this one, this reader felt some slight shuddering echoes and experienced some epiphanies of her own.
THE EXACT NATURE OF OUR WRONGS plunges into the dysfunctional world of the Campbells. Jealousy, addiction, alcoholism and disease make for a dark mix which spirals, seeming to return over and over to the same place. This dark repetition is tempered by moments of humor, grace, love and epiphany. There is some light at the end of this tunnel. Although no reader's family will exactly mirror this one, this reader felt some slight shuddering echoes and experienced some epiphanies of her own.
July 26, 2017
A complex emotional roller coaster of a book.
Starting this book took quite a while for me. I couldn't connect with the characters at first but ended up totally enthralled by this family. Hattie and Abel are so real that your heart breaks for them. Clairbell is the absolute worst.
Most of us have family members like these and the characters will seem familiar in some way or another. The depth of writing here is just phenomenal. My favorite scene was that of Abel and his nurse (Jenny) staying up all night talking and connecting on a complex level. It was a short scene but in my opinion one of the most touching scenes.
This is not a feel good book, it is a book about real human emotions of all kinds. Good, bad, terrible, sad, angry, loving, hating, vengeance. Everything is included here for the price of one book.
Starting this book took quite a while for me. I couldn't connect with the characters at first but ended up totally enthralled by this family. Hattie and Abel are so real that your heart breaks for them. Clairbell is the absolute worst.
Most of us have family members like these and the characters will seem familiar in some way or another. The depth of writing here is just phenomenal. My favorite scene was that of Abel and his nurse (Jenny) staying up all night talking and connecting on a complex level. It was a short scene but in my opinion one of the most touching scenes.
This is not a feel good book, it is a book about real human emotions of all kinds. Good, bad, terrible, sad, angry, loving, hating, vengeance. Everything is included here for the price of one book.
June 29, 2017
This is the kind of book that grabs your heart and keeps you reading late into the night. In a small rural town, the story opens with the matriarch relating their families fall from grace as one after another of her children defy their bright beginning and land in lives littered with loneliness, disgrace, addiction, and unconventional romantic relationships. At the head of this household is Abel, father, husband, lawyer, and mini-dictator. How this family, gathered together for a birthday celebration of their aging and ailing patriarch, finds peace and forgiveness is what makes this story so spellbinding.
This book was offered as a NetGalley digital ARC in return for a fair and honest review.
This book was offered as a NetGalley digital ARC in return for a fair and honest review.
July 8, 2017
I received this book as a Good Reads Giveaway. The opinions are my own.
I love dysfunctional families and quirky characters, but those in this novel had few, if any, points of redemption. They held trivial grudges, fought for attention and love, and were petty and small...10 year olds forever trapped in 50 and 60 year old bodies. I found their stunted growth pathetic and unlikeable, including the mother, Hattie, who I think was meant to be a character to garner the reader's sympathies. I finished this novel because I saw a few glimmers of possible complexity that I hoped would be developed. They weren't.
I love dysfunctional families and quirky characters, but those in this novel had few, if any, points of redemption. They held trivial grudges, fought for attention and love, and were petty and small...10 year olds forever trapped in 50 and 60 year old bodies. I found their stunted growth pathetic and unlikeable, including the mother, Hattie, who I think was meant to be a character to garner the reader's sympathies. I finished this novel because I saw a few glimmers of possible complexity that I hoped would be developed. They weren't.
April 19, 2017
Wow. This was a powerfully emotional book. Everyone has an alcoholic or addict in the family but a family full of this much dysfunction was painful to read about. I think everyone can identify with their family dysfunction abd ultimately it's about coming to terms with all the mistakes, tragedy, and decisions you make that fill your life.
May 17, 2017
I won this through a Goodreads giveaway. I really couldn't get into this book. The characters were not interesting and I struggled to finish it.
i-gave-up
January 14, 2018100 pages in and I still do r care what happens to anyone in this family. Moving on to something else.
June 25, 2024
this was dense and slightly hard to get into i won’t lie. but im still glad i didnt DNF
Read
January 20, 2019Beautiful yet harrowing novel about family, addiction, aging, and how we hold on to the best things in otherwise trying relationships. Written by my former MFA professor, who has taught me so much about the ways fiction has the ability to express paradox and humanity and all the things we despise and adore, this is a moving novel with just the right sparks of hope even in the midst of breaking your heart.
May 2, 2017
I wanted to like this book since I selected it based on it's summary, but I eventually gave up on page 94. I just couldn't make it through another chapter. It didn't start out so bad, but as Abel begins to have his episodes of hospital psychosis, I really began to wonder if the author was on drugs too or just forcing the writing to make it sound like it. I just couldn't read anymore of the endless meaningless dribble...but I wasn't attached to the characters enough to skip past it to move on. Maybe some readers have more patience than I do. It's not that the book is poorly written; the plot just didn't seem to go anywhere, and the story seemed emotionally flat. I have an expectation that if I am going to invest time in reading a book, I want to be learning something or feeling something, and if this doesn't happen in the first 100 pages, I tend to give up.
June 27, 2017
I liked the first two chapters of this book but it was downhill for me after that. The five surviving, middle aged children of Hattie and Abel were so full of grudges against each other and their father that I just didn't care to read about them any more and stopped at the 30% point. Abel was a stern, demanding perfectionist who expected his children to achieve his high level of accomplishment. They all failed to one degree or another and most wasted a lot of time to substance abuse. Hattie was an enabler and I felt sorry for her. None of the children were interesting enough or tragic enough to keep me reading. I received a free copy of this book from the publisher.
May 13, 2017
An interesting premise, well-written characters, and emotional appeal. Just... for whatever reason it didn't hold my interest like I was hoping it would.
October 23, 2023
4 1/2 stars. My favorite kind of book, an epic story of a dysfunctional family riddled with addiction. Three of the sons attended AA, worked the steps and struggled off and on with alcoholism and opioids. One sister never admits her problems with pills but everyone knows.
There is a familiar pattern in the parent’s marriage, with the mom bending over backwards to placate and try to please her husband that the whole family found never listens and is difficult to get along with.
It’s mostly the mother’s story, starting with her dealing with 6 kids pretty much all by herself. In the end she muses that true love is seen in hindsight.
There is a familiar pattern in the parent’s marriage, with the mom bending over backwards to placate and try to please her husband that the whole family found never listens and is difficult to get along with.
It’s mostly the mother’s story, starting with her dealing with 6 kids pretty much all by herself. In the end she muses that true love is seen in hindsight.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 19, 2017
Abel and Hattie Campbell are the parents of six children. Every single one of which has an addiction of some kind. The children are long time grown, their parents are approaching the end of their lives, and all of their children covet one special chair.
I had trouble getting into this one, and more than once I thought of abandoning it, but I stuck with it, and am glad I did. The book is skillfully written and the characters are well developed, but the first part of the book just dragged for me. My thoughts were, jeez what a hot mess this whole family is, but little by little the story pulled me in until I was hooked. This is a story of a highly dysfunctional family. It’s about family relationships and the love that binds them together. I thought the mother’s, Hattie’s, thoughts about what her children had yet to learn were so insightful and wise. Definitely a worthy read.
I had trouble getting into this one, and more than once I thought of abandoning it, but I stuck with it, and am glad I did. The book is skillfully written and the characters are well developed, but the first part of the book just dragged for me. My thoughts were, jeez what a hot mess this whole family is, but little by little the story pulled me in until I was hooked. This is a story of a highly dysfunctional family. It’s about family relationships and the love that binds them together. I thought the mother’s, Hattie’s, thoughts about what her children had yet to learn were so insightful and wise. Definitely a worthy read.
March 5, 2020
Simple story of family. I enjoyed the journey.
January 8, 2023
This story will stay with you, as the family of four children deal with the problems of their aging parents.
August 11, 2018
A story about a miserable old man and his miserable family. A few rare scenes were achingly beautiful. But for the most part the writing was rambling and difficult to connect with.
February 15, 2018
My usual one-line review could be, "Other than that we're a loving family" or "Dysfunction makes the heart grow fonder." Not sure which.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 165 reviews