Family Values

Lawrence David handles multiple perspectives across an eighteen-year family chronicle with more skill than most debut novelists, and the ironic tension between the book's title and its portrait of private dysfunction gives it a sharp satirical edge. Kirkus's verdict of 'well-written but uninspired' is honest, though — the suburban dysfunction genre was already crowded in 1993 and this debut does not find a voice distinctive enough to stand out from the pack decades later. Worth it for readers who specifically love the form; otherwise, the more celebrated entries in the genre will serve better.