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A Stranger In The Family (2010)

by Robert Barnard(Favorite Author)

2.97 of 5 Votes: 4

ISBN

1439176744 (ISBN13: 9781439176740)

languge

English

genre

Fiction

publisher

Scribner

review 1: The story of a young man who learns that he is adopted, his quick and easy search for his birth family, and his longer and slightly more difficult search for the backgrounds of his birth and adoptive fathers.I wanted to give this book more than three stars. It starts out strong, and has many interesting elements. But it has weaknesses too, including having every character speak with the same voice, using the same expressions and way of thought. It is impossible to keep them separate based on voice alone.Similarly, every character is passionless, including two who are very worked up about what is going on. But we have to be told that, because the author is not really showing it to us, aside from one brief phone conversation with his newly discovered brother.Overall, a c... moreompelling premise with surprises and revelations that should have really grabbed the reader but somehow don't. I highly recommend a similar book, The Assault, by Harry Mulisch. It doesn't involve an adoption, but does also follow a man who feels compelled to investigate a mystery in his past. In both books the investigation is in the present, but the mystery traces back to WW II. However, The Assault is a superior read in every way.
review 2: When I see a new Robert Barnard book on the library shelf, I can'tresist it. Not that I've read all his books yet -- I'm actuallyconsidering going back to read some of the ones I read 30 years ago,and then filling in the gaps. I've never been disappointed in aBarnard book yet.Like his recent LAST POST, A STRANGER IN THE FAMILY follows a youngperson who, after a parent's death, discovers some long-hidden familysecrets and is compelled to investigate further. Protagonist KitPhilipson is an eminently sane young man who finds himself among somepretty dysfunctional relatives he hadn't known he had. Hisinvestigations into his and his family's past take him to Vienna tolearn about the dangerous pre-war years, and then...but I don't wantto put in any spoilers. I generally try not to delve too deeply intowhy mystery writers choose the plots they do, but I am just a bitcurious why Barnard has chosen a similar plot beginning for two quitedifferent books within a few years. I'd definitely recommend this orany Barnard book; he writes both series and stand-alones, equally goodin different ways. less

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