A Friend of the Family

A friend once told me that all literary fiction follows the same formula. The narrator introduces herself and, in effect, announces “Hi, I’m a brilliant young woman who’s going to tell you about my troubled family.” In her new novel A Friend of the Family, Laura Grodstein tackles not one but two troubled families linked by lifelong friendship and the budding romance between two of their children.

Alec, the narrator’s son, is a college dropout and aspiring artist at loose ends when he’s suddenly reacquainted with Laura, a beautiful family friend with a notorious past. As a teenager, Laura hid a pregnancy and may have murdered the resulting premature infant shortly after its birth. While Alec’s mother feels Laura deserves compassion and the benefit of the doubt, Alec’s father is less sure. In fact, Pete is horrified when Alec becomes involved with the older Laura. His desire to protect his son eventually borders on obsession and causes him to neglect other responsibilities with life-changing results.

Although the pacing of the novel seems a bit off, with too many plot complications hastily resolved at the end of the book, Grodstein excels at creating fascinating well-rounded characters and asking larger questions. How well do we know the people closest to us? Are we all capable of violence given the right circumstances? A Friend of the Family is an imperfect book but a worthwhile read with memorable characters and an intriguing plot.