Wednesday, October 28, 2009

The Condition

I've been a very slow reader these days. I think it's just that at this time of year, all I want to do is sleep. And not wake up until spring.

I grabbed this book from the library back in September and it's now so overdue I think the RRPL might start sending me hate mail. I honestly don't mind paying late fees though...it's still cheaper than buying your own books and it supports (or in my case, funds the new wing!) my local library.

The Condition has been on my to-read list for some time now. The description caught my attention right away: A proper family, a daughter with Turner's syndrome and the family's imminent decline. The writing, by author Jennifer Haigh, was good. Very good. Each character was both dynamic and flawed. Yet I couldn't help but feel that something was missing. I wanted more. More descriptions. More nitty-gritty into each McKotch life. The small amount of info I got wasn't good enough. I need to know more about this syndrome, more about Billy (the closeted, successful doctor) and more about the affair Scott's wife was having. Believe me, that one was a shocker and yet pretty funny at the same time. I wanted to focus on these things a little more. But maybe that was the author's intention in the first place. To leave the reader intrigued but still guessing. I know it sounds like a funny thing to say, I liked the book, just wanted it to be longer.

I'm still going to recommend reading The Condition. I'd love to hear other opinions. Maybe I missed something big and you are reading this calling me an idiot right now. I need to know!

My next read is much lighter subject matter and I'm thinking I'll fly through it. Stay tuned.

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