A hodgepodge of influences looms throughout, from the genre masters Chaon acknowledges in his dedication (Ray Bradbury, Reginald Gibbons and Peter Straub among them) to Katherine Dunn’s Geek Love and even nods to William Wordsworth and Carl Sandburg. The book’s omniscient narrator mimics the era’s hyperbolic advertising and slang, stepping in and out of characters’ heads, shuffling chronology and breaking the flow with newspaper copy and historical digressions. It works! As One of Us gleefully samples multiple registers—comic, tragic, satiric, elegiac, poetic—its mesh of archaic and contemporary styles becomes something quite arresting, a joy to read ... Chaon’s beautiful novel insists on answers. We must not look away.
One of Us ultimately finds its footing and delivers, although Mr. Chaon’s good taste and well-meaning sympathy sometimes threaten, paradoxically, to get in the way ... Mr. Chaon knows how to unsettle a reader ... It is puzzling that Mr. Chaon seems to pull his punches for the first third of this book ... Wet-blanket Eleanor obstinately resists every interesting plot development ...
This pays off horrifyingly in the final chapter, but along the way it’s a drag to spend time with a character who dislikes being in her own story ... Nevertheless, One of Us triumphs ... Uncle Charlie is written with exuberant gusto ... He is a compelling, bloodcurdling, often funny delight.
Read this novel in a well-lit place and with friendly people around you. One of Us by Dan Chaon is a masterpiece of macabre storytelling ... Chaon traces this journey with delicate pathos.
Mesmerizing and macabre ... The tale is further elevated by Chaon’s clever exploration of theosophy and spiritism. A brilliant work that celebrates humanity in all its guises.
Isn’t for the fainthearted, but readers who like thrillers that stimulate their intellect as much as their emotions will savor every unpredictable twist.
Spectacular ... Chaon dazzles with his vision of family, strangeness, and the tension between care and exploitation. This captivating adventure is not to be missed.
