The Middlesteins
by Jami Attenberg
Although the title implies that The Middlesteins is a story about a family, it's really the story about one woman and how her story affects everyone else's. Edie Middlestein, the difficult-to-love-but-worth-loving woman around whom the book revolves, is fat - dangerously so - and despite the evidence of her own body, medical advise and the obvious worry of her family, she cannot stop eating.
What can a family do when one of their own is bent on irrevocably hurting themselves?
Richard, Edie's husband, decides he can't watch anymore so he leaves her for a furtively-furnished-from-Ikea apartment. For the first time in years, he dares to wonder if there is any happiness awaiting him.
But Edie is clearly sick and the rest of the family can't help but see Richard's leaving as a betrayal. His daughter is angry, his son is confused, his daughter-in-law declares he will never see his grandchildren again.
Told in flashbacks from throughout Edie's life, and from the viewpoints of Richard, their daughter Robin, their son Benny and daughter-in-law Rachelle, Attenberg crafts a story about a family's unravelling. As everyone tries to come to terms with Edie's deteriorating health we're witness to a series of sharp insights into the complex truths that family life is built on. Some are ugly and hidden. Some are hopeful and surprising.
As the narrative moves from Middlestein to Middlestein, it becomes clear Attenberg's greatest strength is her ability to flesh out both her characters frailties and vigour. We see what makes them love, what makes them loveable and how capable they are of hurting those they love. Each family member is, at their core sympathetic, and Attenberg does an excellent job of highlighting their individual battles in a story about insatiable appetite and what it is that makes a person full.
Publisher: Serpent's Tail
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