On The Same Page: Dysfunctional Family Dynamics, Skeletons in The Cupboard, and Drama Galore

PUBLISHED January 25th, 2022 06:00 am | UPDATED February 8th, 2022 07:36 pm

For some of us, family reunions can be a wholesome event with good food and homey ambience. But bring a collection of personalities with a long history together and it can get overwhelming and downright chaotic real quick. Find yourself drowning in a whirlpool of political debates, or dodging questions about your relationships from nosy relatives? We’re with you! If you find yourself going crazy this Chinese New Year season, these books might just make you re-think your opinion of your ‘unbearable’ family.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

An end-of-summer blowout party, a grand mansion, and a family with deep dark secrets. What can go wrong? Malibu Rising follows the story of legendary singer Mick Riva’s four children and the epic party that burns the family mansion to ashes. But before the first spark ignites, we catch a glimpse of the picture-perfect family – with an absent father, a loving-but-alcoholic mother, and their four children filled with emotional baggage.

Much like her other celebrity-adjacent fictions, Taylor Jenkins Reid tears down the glossy and glamorous lives of Hollywood’s personalities, packing the novel with heart-wrenching pain, joy, and the love of an unsinkable family bond. As the booze flows and the music plays on, the skeletons in the family’s closet begin to tumble out.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid is available on Book Depository.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell

A dark and mysterious psychological thriller, The Family Upstairs starts off when 25-year-old Libby Jones comes home to an envelope revealing the identity of her biological parents – and her surprise inheritance of their affluent mansion in London. Hurray! But just as Libby starts to think her mundane life is about to change for the better, she’s thrown into the world of a cult-like society. A shady group of individuals have been waiting for this day to come, and an unsolved crime lurks in the shadows.

Reading Lisa Jewell’s engrossing thriller will have you turning the pages frantically as a chilly shiver goes down your back. Once you pick it up, this compelling and superbly crafted story will keep you hooked till the end.

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell is available on Book Depository.

All Adults Here by Emma Straub

All Adults Here is a heart-warming story of our times, centered around the scattered Strick family.  After witnessing a tragic accident, widowed matriarch Astrid realises that she has grown emotionally distant from her children, and finally decides to open up about her five-year romantic relationship with a woman. Bringing the family back together reveals that the children have some ‘coming out’ to do themselves – with hidden artificial pregnancies out of wedlock, business projects, and troublesome kids.

In this heart-warming story, Emma Straub delves into thorny topics like gender identity, marital infidelity, and abortion. The novel takes us on a rollicking rollercoaster ride through the ups and downs of an American family as they figure out how to best support each another. A bright and feel-good book – perfect for a weekend read.

All Adults Here by Emma Straub is available on Book Depository.

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper

This Is Where I Leave You is nothing short of a whirlwind of love and loss. The story brings together the Foxman family as they mourn the death of the protagonist Judd Foxman’s father. There is, however, one conspicuous absence at the funeral – Judd’s wife, Jen, whose secret affair has recently come to light. Grieving the death of his father and his marriage, Judd joins his dysfunctional family as they spend an entire week under the same roof. Think long-held grudges, raw emotions, and reawakened old passions. The climax? Jen reveals that she’s pregnant!

Don’t worry – no spoilers here! What truly shines through in this novel is not its twists and turns, but its deep dive into the complexities and messiness of our lives. You’ll find yourself giggling and even shedding a tear, while the author takes us on a journey of love, marriage, family, and all the other things that bind us together.

This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper is available on Book Depository.

And Now I Spill the Family Secrets by Margaret Kimball 

And Now I Spill the Family Secrets is an an intensely candid memoir by Margaret Kimball. Drawing on old archives, she courageously charts the most undiscussed and buried topics in her family. After nearly thirty years, Kimball touches on raw nerves like her mother’s biopolar disorder, her suicidal attempt in Margaret’s childhood, as well as a schizophrenic grandmother and a brother with unhinged struggles.

A coming-of-age story, the book delves into the fractures of a family, candidly addressing mental health and other psychological battles often left hidden behind closed suburban doors. In an attempt to find answers, the author not only discovers the cracks, but also  opens the door to endless love and healing in the process.

And Now I Spill the Family Secrets by Margaret Kimball is available on Book Depository.

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