A mother running for Senate, a son running from his problems, and a daughter running straight into trouble... A novel which proves that, like democracy, family is a messy and fragile thing.
... a political comedy of manners that reads like the love child of Page Six and a long episode of Veep. I mean this in the best possible way. If you like your humor dark and take guilty pleasure in imagining the messy lives of others, you will enjoy Grant Ginder’s fifth novel ... That the storyline is familiar, and the characters straight out of central casting, does not detract from the novel’s appeal. Note to creative writing students everywhere, particularly the ones shooting for the stylistic moon: What Ginder does so effectively is take a familiar template and claim it as his own ... Ginder is a sharp writer, and even his workaday observations turn up countless small gems ... The resolution of the novel is hilariously implausible, but second-guessing authorial choices is what we do in book groups, and it’s part of the fun. Ginder might have ended by sending all of his characters into outer space, and I’d still be recommending this novel.
Let’s Not Do That Again beckons readers right in once more with that warm, conspiratorial first person plural. Nominally about politics — the author is a former political speechwriter — it’s really a skittering satire about a fissured nuclear family that could be transposed to almost any other power industry ... This is a caper populated by urban elites. I can’t think of anyone in recent years who has lampooned that cohort between covers so freshly and efficiently as Ginder ... In a world increasingly starved for good dialogue, Ginder’s is bountiful and crackling, like the screwball comedies of yore ... Let’s Not Do That Again won’t please everyone — for one thing, though it’s set after the Trump administration, it’s a pandemic-free zone ... I’m not sure this novel is art with a capital A anymore than a Joan Didion musical could be, but it’s a charmingly subversive treat.
... highly entertaining ... propulsive plotting, flawed but likable characters and clever prose ... Ginder is at his best when tossing all his plates in the air, introducing new characters and subplots, weaving everything together ... Sure it’s slick and plot-driven like a Hollywood movie, with short scenes and snappy dialogue, but Ginder deftly blends politics and family, humor and drama, and brings the three Harrisons vividly to life ... but the book has design flaws. Xavier is cartoonishly sketched and even Nancy’s campaign manager, Cate, feels underwritten. At first, she seems to have potential as a major character with an outsider’s perspective, but ultimately Ginder uses her presence and reactions more as plot points. And some of those plot points, mostly dazzling when all the plates are in the air, crash near the end ... Still, even if Ginder doesn’t fully stick the landing, once you are burrowed inside the lives, and minds of Nancy, Nick, and Greta, you’ll feel like you know them and want to keep spending time with them. So buckle up and enjoy the ride.
