Anxiety inducing in not an enjoyable way. Narrator borders on too witty and introspective at times. Plot movies with good speed but I really just didn’t like the situation that propels it. Leaves you feeling empty ( )

This is a really tough one to review. 3.5 stars. I was interested at the very beginning and then I lost interest. I kept with it though and then it got interesting again at the very end. At the point where I got bored I found myself asking “what is this book even about?” Part of what kept me reading was that there were quite a few times I actually laughed out loud-definitely some funny moments and waiting for mom’s scenes almost makes it worth getting past the boring ones. ( )

A fast and mostly mindless read. The author (who lives in LA) clearly wants to get a movie out of this. Reading the book is like watching a movie (think Little Miss Sunshine, only nowhere as good) about dysfunctional families and such, funny and interesting, but shallow. ( )

This is an offbeat story of family conflicts, an almost flawless blend of humor and pathos. Mother Doris and son David have parallel secrets. Father Joe is dead, and the family assembles for a service and to scatter his ashes at a beloved island in Maine. Younger brother Scott's job is as THE monitor, as in "this call may be monitored for...". The book opens with a recap of the circumstances leading to David breaking his hand on Scott's nose, also broken. There's also coolest pickup move ever done, back in 1961 when there were no cell phones ("Excuse me, Miss, there's a call for you.") . And God, unsuccessfully, tries to insert himself into the proceedings. And there's a brief musing on time and chaos, in this novel everyone could love and enjoy.

Quotes: "His father's ashes sit in the center of the table, next to a container of Mongolian beef."

"His mother lives on the moon, on an asteroid orbiting high above Earth, and now that her husband is dead, she is alone there, spinning around on a cold, lifeless rock, stuck on the dark side of the planet."

"This is the Catch-22 of New York. Just when you decide you can't stand it for another second, something magical happens." ( )