Book Synopsis:
When Liv, Ellen and Håkon, along with their partners and children, arrive in Rome to celebrate their father’s seventieth birthday, a quiet earthquake occurs: their parents have decided to divorce.
Shocked and disbelieving, the siblings try to come to terms with their parents’ decision as it echoes through the homes they have built for themselves, and forces them to reconstruct the shared narrative of their childhood and family history.
A bittersweet novel of regret, relationships and rare psychological insights, A Modern Family encourages us to look at the people closest to us a little more carefully, and ultimately reveals that it’s never too late for change…
A Modern Family is available in ebook and paperback now. You can purchase a copy of both using the link below.
My Review:
I really enjoyed this intimate and realistic look into the lives of a modern family. I thought this book was very thought provoking and I found myself thinking of my own family whilst reading it.
The story follows three siblings as they deal with the shock surprise of their parent’s divorce and the effect that this has on them. I liked how the author has used older children in the story as I think it makes for a more unusual and interesting story. The book is split into three sections with each one focussing on one sibling and their thoughts on what is happening. I found this very affective as each one had a very different take on what had happened and who was to blame. The reader has intimate access into the characters personal thoughts, some of which were quite shocking, and it was very interesting to see how each of them thought they were portrayed by others.
I thought this story was beautifully written and I loved the journey the reader is taken on by the author. The intimate look into the characters meant that I got to know them well which made me feel very involved in the story. I’m a big fan of Scandinavian noir but liked how this book was slightly different as it wasn’t crime based which was very refreshing. I think this is a book everyone should read and I’ll be recommending it to all.
Huge thanks to Anne Cater for inviting me onto the blog tour and to Karen from Orenda books for my copy of this book.
About The Author:
Helga Flatland is already one of Norway’s most awarded and widely read authors. She made her literary debut in 2010 with the novel Stay If You Can, Leave If You Must, for which she was awarded the Tarjei Vesaas’ First Book Prize. She has written four novels and a children’s book and has won several other literary awards.
Over The Rainbow Blog 
Thanks for the blog tour support Jo x
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