... is in many ways a soothingly traditional production ... The complicated family unit [the protagonist] ultimately forms is very much like this rewarding novel: something that may appear basic and old-fashioned but is in reality built on uncharted ground.
Frank’s characters share the spotlight somewhat unsteadily, and their emotions sometimes feel just out of reach. Still, touching on heady topics with plot aplenty, this will easily appeal to readers who like to lose themselves in big, multivoiced dramas of love and family.
The most fundamental flaws of this novel are, unfortunately, also its most fundamental plot points: the relationship between Henry and Costanza, and Costanza’s fertility treatments. Neither is particularly fun to read about ... The pair’s coupling seems slapdash; I didn’t understand what they saw in one another. And the constant bombardment of information about how in-vitro fertilization works rivals reading a medical textbook in terms of entertainment value ... Unfortunately, these two subjects take up around 75 percent of the book’s latter half ... But author Frank’s novel isn’t devoid of an interesting story. It’s just that the most fascinating parts of the plot are buried under significantly less-fascinating parts ... Frank also introduces a large cast of colorful characters that could have been excellent distractions from Henry and Costanza’s relationship, but who are, instead, relegated to the sidelines ... Generally, the author fails to give his female characters their due...Yes, even Costanza. Her leading-lady status does nothing to save her from being defined by her relationships with men ... Frank’s prose ranges from weak to stellar. I found some sections difficult to read. But others hinted at a much greater potential ... has many of the right ingredients, but they are terribly proportioned, like cookies made with two cups of salt and a pinch of flour, rather than the inverse ... There is substance to this novel, but some things — quite a few things — are still missing.
... memorable ... The novel is filled with trenchant moments of sweetness and betrayal, as well a stunning reveal of the harrowing gauntlet infertile women go through to conceive. This is an intricate and dynamic examination of familial ties: both what strengthens them and what can tear them apart.
Frank is insightful and sympathetic on the mental and physical toll of [Costanza's] treatments, and he has a strong sense of family dynamics and crackling dialogue, especially in any scene featuring Henry’s crotchety father or cynical other son. But the novel has a few problems. The cast is almost exclusively white and wealthy, which may dilute sympathy for all the shadows that darken their doorman-building lives. Hints about the plot’s central revelation are fairly obvious, including moments of puzzling recognition and Andrew’s alluding to Shakespeare’s Hamlet ... Some of the writing tends to melodrama, and the sex scenes can be painful ... An uneven but overall impressive debut.
