Jami Attenberg's novel "A Reason to See You Again" is just about an ordinary family; the events it describes are utterly normal.
The dad is secretly gay; he dies early. The mom spirals and becomes an alcoholic. One daughter--a high-flyer--goes to work for a version of Apple. She wants to create tiny computers that people can carry in their pockets. The other daughter becomes a negligent parent and a "consumer" of self-help books.
All three of these women take care of one another in imperfect ways. Mom is emotionally abusive; later, Self-Help Daughter is an impatient nurse at Mom's bedside. High-Flyer wants to be a good aunt--but part of the job, as she sees it, is a commitment to digging for gossip. High-Flyer encourages her niece to say bad things about Self-Help Daughter--then High-Flyer pretends to be dismayed as she sifts through the scandalous stories.
My particular allegiance was with High-Flyer Daughter. She is gay, but in denial, and she ends up in a questionable relationship with a guy (Asher). This guy demands sex on a regular basis, and gives almost nothing; one day, High-Flyer discovers that Asher is throwing a party without having invited his own girlfriend. Asher can't be bothered to meet High-Flyer's family, during Chicago visits; the reason he gives is that "I'm just so in love, I want you all to myself." Attenberg takes sadistic pleasure in showing all the ways in which this guy is bad news--then having the guy assume a "husband" role, despite everything. And that's life.
I'm including a segment here just because the narrator's voice is another strong feature of this book. It's not clear who the narrator is--but she isn't impartial. She loves these characters, and she has a sense of humor. It's a pleasure to spend time with her.
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