"Oh, the games families play with each other." So opens Jami Attenberg's 10th book, A Reason to See You Again, which evinces her mastery of dysfunctional family stories. The novel spans 36 years, zooming in for vignettes that illuminate one Jewish nuclear family. The Cohens experience estrangement and reunion, their circle widening and retracting as partners and friends enter and exit the picture. Meanwhile, the characters grapple with sexuality and addictions as they ultimately decide between hiding and figuring out who they really are.
The close third-person perspective shifts effortlessly between perspectives. Chapters fall into thematic sections named for common experiences such as "Moves," "Emergencies," and "Confessions." The focus is on three generations of women: Frieda, her daughters Nancy and Shelly, and Nancy's daughter, Jess. Frieda attempts to assuage loneliness through substance abuse. Nancy gets pregnant at 21 and later becomes a wellness coach. Shelly, a math genius, moves to Seattle to work on early cell phones. Patterns of psychological damage repeat as Nancy follows Frieda into alcoholism and emotional abandonment of her child. Specific incidents also recur, such as male bosses sexually harassing young female employees. Shelly is particularly noteworthy as a childfree woman in STEM who becomes her artist niece's chief supporter.
Attenberg (I Came All This Way to Meet You, 1000 Words) knows where to shine a spotlight to reveal characters' personalities and dynamics. The constant challenge is to break free and start over. Attenberg's characters are as loveable as they are maddening, and the combination of choices and luck makes the novel's events feel as random--and genuine--as real life. --Rebecca Foster, freelance reviewer, proofreader and blogger at Bookish Beck