We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves: A Novel

We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves: A Novel
Author:
Series: Bucket List Contemporary Fiction Novels
Genres: Contemporary Fiction, Fiction, Literary Fiction
Publisher: G.P. Putnam's Sons
Publication Year: 2014
ASIN: 0142180823
ISBN: 9780142180822

Rosemary is 22 and hasn't seen her brother or sister in years. Her sister was removed from the home before Rosemary was 6, and now she's determined to learn more about the reasons. It's been long enough since this book came out that you may already know the "secret" of this family, but if you don't, I've removed it from the longer summary and won't reveal it here. Go in blind and don't read more reviews, if you don't know. If you have already read more, rest assured: what seems like it could be a gimmick is actually a smartly rendered novel about family, memory, and science. I loved this novel and would like to read it again.

About the Book

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Publisher’s description:

From the New York Times–bestselling author of The Jane Austen Book Club, the story of an American family, middle class in middle America, ordinary in every way but one. But that exception is the beating heart of this extraordinary novel.

Meet the Cooke family: Mother and Dad, brother Lowell, sister Fern, and our narrator, Rosemary, who begins her story in the middle. She has her reasons.

Rosemary was not yet six when Fern was removed. Over the years, she’s managed to block a lot of memories. She’s smart, vulnerable, innocent, and culpable. With some guile, she guides us through the darkness, penetrating secrets and unearthing memories, leading us deeper into the mystery she has dangled before us from the start. Stripping off the protective masks that have hidden truths too painful to acknowledge, in the end, “Rosemary” truly is for remembrance.

Look Inside
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