... may be the most oddly enticing novel you will read this year, no matter how you feel about ducks, baseball, evolution, the state of our planet or the fate of our run-amok species. Keenly satirical yet unashamedly tender, it both reels you in and sets you adrift, offshore in every sense ... the same deadpan wit and deft portraiture that elevated The From-Aways above the summer-reading throng is recognizable here. There is also the perennial theme of wayward adults seeking vanished parents, one that Ms. Hauser reinvigorates by exposing character and plot elliptically, in scenes that could stand alone as short stories and yet mysteriously coalesce, as memories do, to summon the indelible past ... In this eccentric portrait of dented hearts and wacko science, [Hauser's] aim is unerring.
... oddball-brilliant ... a spirited defense of the maligned millennial generation. It's also an innovative work of climate fiction, a nuanced and empathic family story, and, for my money, the summer's best novel thus far ... Hauser is a beautiful, no-nonsense writer, with a particular gift for atmosphere ... As science, this is pretty wobbly. As emotion, it works.
... glorious ... Reminiscent of the family explorations of Rick Moody, Jennifer Egan, and Lauren Groff, this tragicomic novel explores climate change, family ties, and the millennial generation’s feeling that they have arrived late to the party, that humanity and the environment appear to be declining before their eyes. Full of brilliantly realized characters, Hauser’s latest is profound, often incredibly funny, and captures the times like few other contemporary novels.
... sharply and mysteriously illuminating ... At times the storyline of Family of Origin creaks and groans and seems overly intricate. But sentence by sentence, Hauser is a sharp and often witty observer of human behavior. She brilliantly portrays some of the central issues of contemporary life, particularly issues for the lives of millennials. And she raises provocative questions about how contemporary human beings will survive and make full lives for themselves in the future ... In the end, Family of Origin is worth a serious read and some serious thought.
... strange and heartbreaking ... Hauser's ability to render the complexities of family relationships with radical honesty is a feat ... A lesser writer would not be able to deliver the disturbing and weird with the grace that Hauser does ... A unique, poignant, and slightly taboo novel about family, biology, and evolution.
Hauser impresses ... This shimmering take on grief and family will enthrall fans of character-driven stories with its bevy of dashed dreams and cluttered emotions.
