The Wrong Family by Tarryn Fisher
The Wrong Family by Tarryn Fisher
Unfortunately, I think I went in with my expectations too high for this book- The Wives was a superb read and nothing like I had expected, and I probably had my hopes too high based on that. I would rate this three stars; it kept my attention and there were some minor twists I didn't see coming, but from the first chapter I had a good idea where most of the plot was going.
However, the writing was just as good as Fisher's last novel. All of the characters are deeply, tragically flawed, and I'm not sure that I actually liked any of them, but it didn't make the book any less worth the time invested in reading it, though I have a huge issue with Fisher's description of Albuquerque (it's my hometown and I will probably never be satisfied with anyone's description). On the other hand, her description of the Greenlake area of Seattle is pretty spot-on.
Juno lives in Winnie and Nigel's house with their teenage son, Sam. As she lives there, she finds out Winnie's horrifying secret, and we find out Juno's. We even find out a of couple secrets about Sam.
Frustratingly, I was pretty unsatisfied with the conclusion of this one. If you're in need of a read that is more toned down, and that's maybe a bit less disturbing, this one would fit the bill. However, if you're looking for something with twists and turns and an impossible plot, this is not the book to fit that need.
Quotes:
She eyed a safe-ish route through the largest shards of glass that led past the island. She wore only thin socks, and as she stepped gingerly from a black tile to a white, it felt like she was playing a human game of chess. She’d heard the fight, but now she was seeing it in white porcelain shards that lay like teeth across the floor. She couldn’t disturb them, and she definitely couldn’t cut herself.It wasn’t that he couldn’t leave, it was that he wanted to and couldn’t. Perhaps it was too much to ask after what she’d done, but she just wanted her husband to love her...to want to be with her.
She didn’t hate being a mother, she hated parenting—being the enforcer, the teacher, and most often, the bad guy.
Spoilers:
You'll find out almost immediately that Juno is "frogging;" she's living in the Crouches' house without their knowledge or consent. They don't even know who Juno is.
Winnie attempted to steal a baby from one of her patients, but the baby dies in a car wreck. Nigel hides the body under the crawlspace. Juno doesn't know this, but Sam is Winnie and Nigel's biological son; she believes that Sam is the missing baby, and she tips his grandmother off.
Winnie's brother, Dakota, attacks Nigel as he believes Nigel has ruined his relationship with all of his family. Nigel dies. This occurs at the same time that the missing baby's grandmother is visiting Winnie and asking questions. Juno realizes that she has created some of this mess and she attacks Dakota, killing him after he's already killed Nigel. Sam and Winnie escape physically unharmed for the most part.
Dakota disappears, but it turns out that Juno murdered him and they both died under the house in the crawlspace in which Juno had been living.
Juno had once been a therapist, but she slept with a patient and was sent to jail. She then became homeless and eventually moved into Winnie and Nigel's house to get out of the rougher weather.
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