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A Friend of the Family
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| By Lauren Grodstein |
Average Rating:  (5 Reviews)
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$23.95 |
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| Publisher: |
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Algonquin Books |
| Date: |
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November 10, 2009 |
| Binding: |
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Hardcover |
| Pages: |
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304 |
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Pete Dizinoff has spent years working toward a life that would be, by all measures, deemed successful. A skilled internist, he?s built a thriving practice in suburban New Jersey. He has a devoted wife, a network of close friends, and an impressive house, and most important, he has a son, Alec, on whom he?s pinned all his hopes. Pete has afforded Alec every opportunity, bailed him out of close calls with the law, and even ensured his acceptance into a good college.
But Pete never counted on the wild card: Laura, his best friend's daughter?ten years older than Alec, irresistibly beautiful, with a past so shocking that it?s never spoken of. When Laura sets her sights on Alec, Pete sees his plans for his son not just unraveling but being destroyed completely. Believing he has only the best of intentions, he sets out to derail this romance and rescue his son. He could never have foreseen how his whole world would shatter in the process.
Lauren Grodstein delivers a riveting story in the tradition of The Ice Storm, American Beauty, and Little Children, charting a father's fall from grace as he struggles to save his family, his reputation, and himself.
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| Amazon Best Books of the Month, November 2009: In A Friend of the Family, Lauren Grodstein, author of the breakout debut novel, Reproduction Is the Flaw of Love, goes to even greater literary heights with a contemporary suburban drama brewing with an undercurrent of violence that, with each turn of the page, takes on the weight of an American tragedy. As the book opens, Peter Dizinoff, a successful New Jersey doctor, is struggling to adjust to the aftermath of his actions as the foundation of his personal and professional life crack beneath his feet. At the center of his troubles is his beloved son Alec, who deflates his father's high expectations when he drops out of college after just three semesters and moves into the apartment above their garage. And when his son begins seeing Laura, the troubled daughter of Peter's best friend who is ten years older than Alec and lives in the tainted shadow of being acquitted for an unspeakable crime when she was 17, Alec's ambivalence to his father's hopes in living a good life turn into a simmering rage. Dizinoff, a man with a clear definition of right and wrong, flips back and forth in time as he narrates the history of events that build their way to a layered, emotionally wrenching climax. --Brad Thomas Parsons |
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| Customers' Reviews: |
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 The ending odd . . ., March 12, 2010 |
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SOME SPOILERS FOLLOW:
When I finished this book I thought .. .. HUH? Laura tells people Dr. Pete 'raped' her and given her history of mental problems, the wife (especially the wife)and son actually believe her? It just didn't make any sense! This man who stood beside her all of these years - through infertility and breast cancer - suddenly decides to rape his son's girlfriend. AND the best friend believing his daughter - and he knows the truth of her sexual past . . .What utter nonsense . . and WHAT is the problem with the son? An obnoxious character to say the least and the wife comes off as spoiled rotten. I have to say - the moment Dr. Pete hauled off and smacked Laura was most satisfying - and I'm not even a violent person:)
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| Thought Provoking Read, March 2, 2010 |
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Friend of the Family is an extremely well-written journey through the life of a basically well-meaning doctor and his family. The book explores the consequences (intended and unintended) of the main character's decisions regarding raising his son and also explores the various triumphs and tragedies that the family has faced over the years. All of the characters are well developed, with both positive and negative aspects of their personalities. Even the "most evil" character is ultimately made human and offers the reader an opportunity to empathize with her plight, if not her actions. The main character will give parents A LOT to think about after they have finished the book. The ending is satisfying -- not a fairy tale by any means, but neither is it devoid of hope. A great book overall! I cannot wait for the author's next publication!!
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 Makes you wonder how you'd react in the same situation..., February 28, 2010 |
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I first heard of Lauren Grodstein's A Friend of the Family when Amazon selected it as one of the best books of November. Since I'm a big fan of books about family dysfunction (quiet, you), I was quite eager to read it. And I'm pleased to say that once again, Amazon didn't steer me wrong. I thought this book was terrifically compelling and well-written, and devoured it really, really quickly.
Dr. Pete Dizinoff is an internist living a fairly idyllic life in suburban New Jersey. He and his wife, Elaine, who met in college, have a close relationship with college friends and their families are bound together quite closely. If there's any blip on the screen of their lives, it's their son Alec, who in his teenage years and early 20s struggled with a number of issues, including a firm direction for his future. But Pete is determined that Alec will succeed.
And then Laura Stern, eldest daughter of the Dizinoffs' best friends, reappears, after being gone from New Jersey for a significant period of time following troubles of her own. Laura takes an interest in Alec, who is about 10 years her junior, and this interest troubles Pete a great deal. Pete becomes obsessed with trying to get Alec back on the path he wants Alec to follow, at any cost.
I found this story intriguing because I'd imagine many parents might feel--and act--the same way Pete did when faced with this same situation. And although many of Pete's actions made his character a little less sympathetic, when taken together with the history Grodstein provided for his character, it all seemed very natural. The ripples that a few stones like these can make in so many lives really fascinated me. I'd definitely recommend this book, and I'll check out Grodstein's earlier fiction as well. It will be interesting to see if this one gets made into a movie...
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| Story that holds your interest, February 13, 2010 |
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I purchased this book using my Kindle storefront. This was a very compelling book and well written. Although I am not a parent, I could see how Dr. Pete felt he had to protect his son. Dr. Pete's feelings about Laura and what she did as a teenager are so real. You catch yourself wondering how you would feel if you knew someone who did something horrible in the past and how you would feel 10 years later about it and how it clouds his behavior and judgement and leads him to act on his feelings to the detriment of losing his family. This was a deep story filled with many layers. I could not put this book down and have told several friends that this is a must read.
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| 1 of 1 people found the following review helpful |
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| A taut read...., February 10, 2010 |
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This is one of those psychologically taut novels -- not what we'd call a thriller, by any means -- that keeps you on the edge of your seat just having to read "one more page."
Pete Dizinoff is a successful husband, father and doctor in suburban New Jersey. All of Pete's hopes and dreams are pinned on his teenage son, Alec. But when Alec finds himself entangled with the wild-child daughter of Pete's best friend, just how far will Pete go to ensure his son's future?
Okay, so this book would make a great book club read...lots of grist for the mill, so to speak. Grodstein writes a tight plot which closely examines the fluidity of our morals and values, as well as the consequences of our actions. Bad things do indeed happen to good people in this novel.
There is enough tension to keep you turning the pages. And the ending? It's, ummmmm, good. Not great, but good. We admittedly were a tad disappointed that the ending wasn't as high of quality as the rest of the novel. Quite frankly, that is why this will be a book we mention to our friends, as opposed to a book everyone is talking about.
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| 0 of 0 people found the following review helpful |
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