Jewell Shines Once Again (A Friend Of The Family - Lisa Jewell)

Member Name: t4mof

Product:	A Friend Of The Family - Lisa Jewell
Date:	27/01/05 (97 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Easy to read, Quick to get through

Disadvantages: The character of Gervase is a bit of an anti-climax

Bernie London has been happily married for almost 40 years and during that time has raised three sons – Tony, Sean and Ned. Tony is the eldest at 34. A successful businessman, he has been married, divorced and is now in another relationship with fun-loving girl Ness. Sean, 30, is a professional writer and had major success with his debut novel but he is now suffering from writers block. He has just met a slightly older woman, Millie, and his life is about to be turned upside-down. Ned, the youngest at 27, left the close-knit family behind 3 years ago to start a new life in Australia with Monica, a girl he met in a bar. The move across the world was a spur of the moment decision and he’s now beginning to realise Monica is not the girl he thought she was. A return home is imminent.

A Friend of the Family follows the three brothers as they battle with their insecurities, overcome personal dilemmas and ultimately learn new things about themselves and each other. But they are not alone. Bernie has recently taken in a lodger, Gervase. When the siblings first meet Gervase they are baffled as to why their mother and father have taken this man into their home as he is depicted as a bit of an oddball.

Gervase is portrayed as enigmatic from the outset and through his interaction with Tony, Sean and Ned the reader is given clues as to what he is about, although Jewell never actually gives much away. Throughout the novel we see Gervase help each of the brothers to sort through the problems life is currently throwing at them. He makes each of them look deeper into themselves and admit how they are affecting others around them. And just as mysteriously as he arrives into the London’s lives, he disappears again once he sees he is no longer needed.

Having read another of Jewell’s novels, One Hit Wonder, the author does seem to enjoy having characters that we are forced to learn more about as the story progresses. However, although in One Hit Wonder, the mystery was revealed to a satisfactory conclusion, I did feel a little let down by Gervase. Throughout the novel I was trying to guess his secret, only to be slightly disappointed when all was revealed. I felt it was an anti-climax that the rest of the novel didn’t deserve and couldn’t help but think more could have been made of him.

One aspect of the novel that quite surprised me was the fact that the story is very much from a male perspective which is interesting from a female writer. I was expecting Bernie to be the main storyteller and to see events from her point of view, but it is the thoughts and actions of the sons that are focused on. Female characters do play an important role in the novel and female issues are addressed but they are witnessed and told from the male viewpoint. As (I’m assuming!) Lisa Jewell is female, she pulls this off convincingly. The major male characters and their relationships with the more minor female characters are portrayed realistically and provide several intertwining sub-plots.

As the novel would generally fit into the genre of “popular” or possibly “chick-lit” there were certain parts that I was expecting to be predictable. But one of Jewell’s strengths as a writer is to throw in a few surprises along the way and she doesn’t disappoint here.

For some readers a negative of the book would be the language used. The “f” word is used frequently and I was beginning to feel that it was becoming slightly overused by the end which got a bit tedious and failed to make an impact. If you’re easily offended by this and other strong words then you’d probably put the book down fairly early on.

Overall I enjoyed the story. Its strength lies in the characterisation and it is the interaction between the characters that drives it all forward. The three main protagonists are generally likeable despite their human flaws, and I found myself wanting them to resolve their issues. It has a satisfactory ending and was compelling enough to persuade me to keep reading. Humour was used well throughout. I especially enjoyed the description of Ned going to a recruitment agency to try and find a job. After being asked about his experiences and being made to take a typing test, he gets placed at a record company folding card and putting together press packs in a tiny store cupboard. Anybody who has worked through a recruitment agency will more than likely be able to relate to this scenario! It is rare for a book to have me laughing out loud but the odd snigger slipped out while I was reading this.

The book is an easy read and perfect for when you want to relax. It doesn’t require much brain power or thought to understand what is going on. Due to the male perspective of the narration I expect both sexes may enjoy it but it is probably more aimed at a female audience due to its “chick-lit” nature.

The RRP for A Friend of the Family is £6.99 but as it is a bestseller, it can often be found in the 3 for 2 offers at Waterstones or WHSmiths. Other bookstores are also likely to stock it and I’ve seen it for sale both at Asda and Tesco. Amazon are currently selling it at £5.99 new or from £2.50 second-hand and you may be able to pick it up even cheaper on Ebay.

As the second Lisa Jewell novel I’ve read, she is an author I wouldn’t hesitate to seek out again in the future. I think A Friend of the Family compares well to One Hit Wonder and if you like fiction that is not too taxing to read then it would certainly be a book I would recommend.

Summary: