Customer Reviews

The Summer We Fell Apart: A Novel

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(15)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Robin Antalek's soaring debut concerns the tribulations of the Haas family --- four grown children and their mother--- before, during, and after the death of the failed-playwright patriarch, who was as achingly absent in their childhoods as he is in the novel. The characters are so well drawn, their stories woven together so expertly, that it's hard to believe that this novel grew out of a collection of loosely-affiliated short stories. Also notable is her adroit and effective use of the simplest things ---lemon trees, leather jackets, scarves---as symbols.

In books of this kind---five characters, five stories, five points of view---there are usually one or two weak links in the chain. Not so here. You'll care about these characters---all of them---as deeply as if they were members of your own family (and perhaps more).

Oh, and don't let the prim and proper cover fool you---The Summer We Fell Apart has some racy passages, including the most uncomfortable ménage à trois scene in recent memory.

Dysfunctional families are commonplace, as are the books about them. However, this book stands above them all. It is truly a gem, one that will linger in your mind long after you have finished it. Robin Antalek is a refreshing and unique author that is able to carry the reader effortlessly and beautifully through the intimate perspectives of four siblings and their mother. You will fall in love with each sibling and suprisingly find heartfelt compassion for their neglectful parent as well. This novel is filled with love and heartache that moves quickly. But, beware! Don't read too quickly. Robin Antalek is an artist with the written word, her prose is not something to be rushed through, but savored.

This book is REAL. My guess is that it will find a home on the NY Times Best Seller List. Enjoy!

This novel is FANTASTIC...As an avid reader I highly enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who loves a good read! This book will make you laugh and it'll make you cry...The way the author writes is so descriptive and captivating that you can't help but feel for, and relate to, this dysfunctional family. From the time I picked up "The Summer We Fell Apart" I had a very hard time putting it down...I can honestly say that I was sad when the story ended! I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THIS NOVEL!!!

Their dad was a famous playwright who died when his career declined. Their mom was a wannabe actress who became a cult favorite for her B roles. Their four offspring growing up never felt they had parents as the so called adults in the Haas family of six neglected their children.

The youngest Amy hated the constant tension as all she wanted was a normal life like those on TV. George wanted to love and be loved so in any dispute especially after his father died, he always supported their mom. The oldest Kate found escapism and solace in her studies as she became a lawyer mostly as a reaction opposite to her artistic parents. Finally the oldest son Finn turned to alcoholism and addiction to provide him a haze of avoidance.

This is a fascinating look at a dysfunctional family from the perspective of the four children as the adult may neglect their offspring but the child becomes the adult. The story line is character driven as the demons that haunt each of the foursome and how each copes with them is deeply explored by Robin Antalek. Mindful of Family Pictures by Sue Miller and This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper, readers will enjoy this profound look at family relationships as seen by the children looking back as adults.

Harriet Klausner

The minute I began reading The Summer We Fell Apart I had to force myself to start reading slower. I knew that if I kept reading at the veracious pace the book was prompting me to that it would be over much too quickly and I wouldn't have had a chance to fully appreciate it. At the end of the book it was hard for me to accept it was over and put it down. I had become so attached and involved with the characters that Amy and George could have been my own siblings or long lost friends.
As personal as a journal, it is not only the narrative of the book but the manner in which it is written that leads the reader (as it certainly did to me) to such strong emotions. The author does not try to sound literary and come off as being pretentious as I have found many current writers do. Her voice is refreshingly straightforward and effortlessly poetic.
The Summer We Fell Apart is a book I would recommend to anyone. It is an engaging and heartfelt read and that will have relevance to many audiences. Above all the book is about family, something everyone has an undeniable connection to.

Growing up, life in the Haas household was anything but normal. For the four children of Marilyn, an aging actress, and Richard, a once-successful playwright, it's more about existing than thriving. Oldest daughter Kate is forced to take over the parenting duties of Finn, the oldest son who drinks to excess daily, even as a teen; George, the sensitive gay son who most relates to their distant mother; and Amy, the young artist -- and "caboose" of the family -- who becomes George's closest friend and confidante.

Alternating between each of the four children's viewpoints with a bonus glimpse through Marilyn's eyes, we examine life before, during and after the death of Richard, a figure who looms large in the story -- despite the fact that he never physically appears in the text except through snatches of memories and, later, after passing. The children are the "fruit" of Richard's failed life; the products of his neglect. Of the four siblings, each aches separately for a childhood they never had and for parents they never understood or trusted; these pains carry them into their turbulent adulthoods, where every sibling must make peace with the past. And maybe, along the way, learn to love -- and trust -- others. And each other.

Robin Antalek's THE SUMMER WE FELL APART was, quite simply, stunning. Books with multiple narrators typically leave me feeling detached and disjointed as a reader, unable to get close to any one particular character. But not so here, where we learn the quirks and backstories of each Haas child as we travel through time and space with them. In a story that could easily have become horrifying or worse, I never sunk into depression as I followed the kids from New York to California and back. My heart broke when theirs broke; my face creased when they smiled. So obviously so broken, Amy, George, Finn and Kate desperately needed to find somewhere to belong.

THE SUMMER WE FELL APART is a carefully crafted story ripe with atmosphere, symbolism and incredible imagery. A family drama in the very best sense of the description, I couldn't put this book down. It succeeds where, for me, books like Hyatt Bass's THE EMBERS -- a book similar in content, down to the writer father -- failed: it made me care, and not just about the "right" people. About everyone.

A fantastic debut novel I would highly recommend to lovers of literary fiction and those ready to delve into the hard, blackened core of a one family -- and maybe emerge on the other side.

This book is about 4 children who are essentially ignored by their parents as they are growing up. Told from the point-of-view of each of the four kids and their mother in sequential chapters, the story follows them from their teen years to adulthood. The book covers some weighty material, but the writing is uneven and the book just did not draw me in.

For the good points: there is very little 'fun' in this dysfunctional family. The author does clearly convey the seriousness of problems such as alcoholism and avoids making a caricature of most of the characters. Some of the perspectives of the characters were very interesting, and it was fun to decode the truth of their family based on information that varied a bit when told by a different character.

This brings me to the not-so-great points of the book. While some of the perspectives were interesting, others were not, which led to a pace of the story that ebbed and flowed. While the story being told by different characters is a clever device, it may have been too ambitious in this case, because it seemed like there was a bit of the struggle by the author to inhabit all of the characters equally well in the book. The ending was a bit too tidy for me as well.

In summary: this isn't a feel-good book, and that's okay. It was the uneven writing and the seemingly better job the author did with some characters than others that put me off.

The Summer We Fell Apart by Robin Antalek is a stellar debut novel. It is the story of five Haas siblings who ,due to failed parenting and divorce , struggle to cope with life and each other. Each sibling has a story to tell and each story lends more insight into the total picture of the failed parental upbringing.The emotional ups and downs of each child's life is beautifully told by Antalek. There is humor too which makes the difficult subject matter a bit easier to take. The imagery of a diseased lemon tree is an excellent symbol for a family seemingly totally rotted from the inside out. The fallen lemons, however, still hold seeds.........the same seeds of hope that hold the fragile bond of the Haas family together. One will come to know Amy, George, Finn and Kate Haas and root for them to make it........to find love,to rise above their emotional pain ,to hold on to and embrace the fragile connection that is family. This is a wonderful book club read.

In The Summer We Fell Apart, Robin Antalek follows the grown children of a dysfunctional marriage. The Haas marriage was renowned in theatrical circles. The father was a Tony-award winning playwright, but his career stumbled badly after this honor. The mother is more successful, still getting acting roles in her fifties and sixties. The question is why these two ever married and had children. The children seem to be nothing more than an afterthought, and the marriage revolved around the headgames and the serial adultry of each parent.

Now that the children are grown, they have entered adult lives of their choices. Kate, the oldest and the father's favorite, is a hard-charging corporate lawyer, full of to-do lists and lots of projects but little time for emotions. Finn, the mother's favorite, has had alcohol issues and stumbles from rehab to rehab. George is a swim coach at a private boy's school and provides the most emotional support for his siblings. Amy is the youngest and is an artist, living in New York with her boyfriend.

The book follows the children in their lives, especially in the time immediately following the death of their father. Antalek explores how we grow up, what sibling relationships mean and what we owe to our nuclear families once we grow up and make separate adult lives. The writing is immediate and real, and although the topic could be depressing, it doesn't weigh down the book. This book is recommended for readers who enjoy books about how we relate to each other and the world.

I loved reading The Summer we Fell Apart! I became attached to each character and had a range of emotions for each one of them. They stay with you even when you're finished reading the book; it's as if you know them. You will become engaged in their lives and not want the book to end. This book is so well written; the story unfolded beautifully.