David Gilbert’s new novel ‘& Sons’ will be one of the best novels published this year. Yes, I said it. And obviously you can trust me, my taste is impeccable (in all facets, no?). My narration and advice is never unreliable (unlike the narrator in this novel). I’ve not steered you wrong yet, except for the few of you who hated The Sisters Brothers (unfortunate, but true).
Hoary, reclusive, Salingeresque New Yorker A. N. Dyer is approaching the end of his life. We meet him when he’s attempting to eulogize his closest and perhaps only friend Charles Topping. He fails miserably, crying out for his youngest son Andy. However, Andy’s nowhere to be found. Andy is 17 years old and determined to lose his virginity, so he sneaks out of the funeral to meet an online acquaintance and inadvertently (though gleefully) misses his father’s breakdown. This is Andy (and yes, he plays a charming game of “You Find Me, You Fuck Me” in one of the memorable scenes in the novel, he’s inveterately horny).
A. N. Dyer, writer and patriarch (in that order), wrote one of the Great American Novels, ‘Ampersand’. He is also the father of three sons. Andy, as mentioned above, is the youngest – conceived in an extramarital affair that destroyed Dyer’s first and only marriage to Isabel. Then there is eldest son Richard, a recovering drug addict who fled to the sunny coast of California, refusing to speak to his father again. The guilt-ridden middle son is Jamie, a struggling would-be filmmaker. Jamie films the tragedies of the world, but refuses to release any of his footage. Instead, he lives off his trust fund, hence the guilt. One odd film of his accidentally goes viral. Narrating the novel is Phillip, son of Charlie, and long admirer of the Dyer family. As the former target of Richard’s bullying and Jamie’s overcompensating good nature, Phillip can’t quite move on. Instead, he destroys his marriage, gets fired from his job, and attempts to ingratiate himself in the Dyer household. Phillip is all knowing, but as he bears witness to nearly none of the events he describes, how much does he really know?
When I struggle to write a review, as is the case here, I revert to my preferred method of handling challenges. Listmaking. Here are ten reasons you should pick up ‘& Sons’ immediately.
10. Unreliable narrators are always excellent when done well, as is the case here. Phillip Topping is a modern day Nick Carraway, a witness to the Dyer family, but never an integral, accepted part of it.
9. It’s a gritty love letter to New York City.
8. If John Irving calls the writing gorgeous and the story terrific, you know something good is going on. And like Irving, Exeter (Phillips Exeter Academy) significantly influences all the male characters in this novel. (Not an Irving fan? How did you end up here?)
7. Irving’s right, the writing is gorgeous. Additionally, the novel’s structure is brilliant.
6. The novel explores all the dysfunctional appeal of messy father-son relationships in empathetic detail. ‘& Sons’ touches on the importance of place, of family, and of making art. As someone who has never had a relationship with a father, nor closely witnessed a lifelong one between a father and son, I found the realistic quality of the relationships exasperating and touching – much like it might be in life.
5. There’s a bit of unexpected science fiction that appears about half-way through the book. You’ll know it when you read it.
4. This quote: “Despite the college-worn earnestness, I understood the motivation: the almost incandescent urge for the dreadful thing. When you are a decent person and you have grown up safe and comfortable, with parents who themselves have grown up safe and comfortable, in New York, no less, the Upper East Side of New York, no less, you often find yourself admiring the poor and desperate around you as if they are somehow more honest, more legitimate, than your tribe, Buddhists to your Capitalists, and you want to prove yourself conscious with a capital C by dipping into that hardship – lower – that degradation – lower – that self-abasement. There is liberal guilt and there is liberal sin, where you go slumming, the most cheerful of vagrants. I know I was guilty of this.”
3. It uses a novel within a novel to reveal secrets of the past. Surprisingly, it does so quite successfully.
2. The novel ambitiously explores the violent swings in life, love, writing, success, failure, jealousy, guilt, and death. To Gilbert’s credit the novel is neither clichéd, nor farcical (despite some Shakespearean tragedy).
1. Because I said so? Assuming that is not a valid read (and it’s not), than because I do believe it will be one of the best novels written this year. The characters may not be entirely likable, but they have undoubtedly, indelibly been imprinted on my memory for the foreseeable future (Andy, in particular). As an added bonus, you bear witness, fictionally, to the skewering of the New York literary scene.
I’ve now given you ten reason to read ‘& Sons’* by David Gilbert. Will you take my advice and read it? It’s up to you, but I hope so. 5/5.
When attempting to eulogize his childhood friend Charlie, all Andrew can remember is that Charlie love bacon. He’d put bacon on anything. As this novel is set in New York, I am recommending bacon on pizza (Tomato, Bacon, Basil Pizza to be exact). Again with the pizza, you say? I hear you, but I crave pizza with the same intensity as Michelangelo (with the brain of Donatello). I realize the TMNT reference dates me, but it’s nonetheless true. Although there may be a whole slew of new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles fans with Michael Bay’s upcoming movie (therefore no longer revealing myself as a child of the late ’80’s)… In regards to Bay’s version, I’m trying to quell my sense of impending doom.
*I received a review copy of this novel in exchange for my honest opinion.
flannel and folklore 
Okay, moving it back up the reading list…
Irving has been busy with the testimonials of late – also singing the praises of Flora by Gail Goodwin.
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I didn’t see that one (though I’ve been considering Flora). I try and pay attention to his blurbs, he’s usually write.
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Hoary! Inveterate! I love it! Haha.
Great review though. I saw this one advertised on Shelf Awareness a while back and was intrigued. I love messy family dramas…need to check it out sometime soon.
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All thanks to you.
Thanks. It’s a good one (mostly, although I can’t decide about the bit of sci-fi whimsy, my initial reaction is dislike).
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I think I saw this on the Vine… Might have to request it. Great review!
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Thank you. I liked it, it’s a bit slow going in place, but worth it.
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I just did a, “Wait, what?” when I got to #5.
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That would be the reaction I had while reading.’Wait, what did that say…?’.
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I JUST heard a review of this on NPR yesterday, and it sounded pretty great… I mean, maybe except for the author comparing his book to Dostoyevsky… But I can forgive a little pretension if the book is fabulous!
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He did? To be honest, that downgrades my opinion very slightly. I have an issue with pretentious ‘look at my great novel’ authors. There’s nothing wrong with being humble.
However, I’ll pretend you didn’t tell me that because the book is good.
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LOL I could have heard it incorrectly, I was on my way to work and only partially paying attention. Please do pretend you heard nothing :).
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I was on the fence with this one. I kept hovering over the Request button on NetGally. After reading the Washington Post review yesterday, I was convinced to at least put it on my wishlist. Now I’m doubly convinced!
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I choose it for two ridiculous reasons. The first being that I liked the cover. The second being that John Irving recommended it. However, despite my superficial reasoning, I was quite pleased in the end.
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I put it on the list.
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Very wise. 🙂
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Great review Rory! I first came across this novel when EW featured it; I normally don’t really follow EW’s recs but the premise of this novel sounded great. Definitely bumping this book up the want-to-read pile now 😉
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Thank you! It’s a good one. I’ve read a few of the reviews now and agree with most of them, though I think EW gave it the work rating (still only an A- though). Apparently there was an interview on NPR where Gilbert compared himself to Dostoevsky. I’m going to have to hunt down that audio because that level of pomposity would astound me.
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Whoa, that comparison is very, err, interesting, lol. I’d be interesting to know what the context is for such a comparison xD
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hahaha… I trust you to recommend good books. Except for that time when you liked that Riding Camp book. 😛 This does sound intriguing though, will have to pick this up one day. 🙂
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That was a damn good book. Sort of. I liked the writing, but agree with you assessment of Thea being boring. This book was a bit slow at times to and very literary – it was not an effortless read. As a thank you to myself, I caved and bought Javier’s book (though if I ever designed a guy, Camden would be it, there’s something about tattoos and glasses). So while that won’t be appearing on the blog, I will be reading that next.
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We’ll just have to agree to disagree. 😛
Ohh On Every Street? You’ll have to let me know what you think of it! I’m currently on this southern-gothic-country-noir kick since you forced me to read Devil all the Time. There aren’t nearly enough books of that genre. Or they’re all hiding from me.
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Several by Joe R. Lansdale’s and both of Frank Bill’s books are great.
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Will have to check out Frank Bill. My library has The Bottoms by Lansdale and that sounds like a good one. Did you ever pick up The Thicket?
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Yes! I was, for the very first time, approved for a Mulholland book.
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Oh good!
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I was beginning to think it was personal. Of course, I also felt like requesting again made me a glutton for punishment! (yes, PLEASE, reject me once more)
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That’s how I feel ALL the time with Edelweiss. They are real jerks. I’ve cut back a lot on my requesting though and usually only go with the pubs that have already pre-approved me.
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I love unreliable narrators actually..leads to surprises!
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You never really know what happened during the “incident” and the unreliable narrator never makes it clear. It definitely leaves you wondering.
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I’ve got to get my hands on this book – I’ve heard so much about it!
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It almost lives up to its hype, which is to say it’s very good, but probably not the next ‘great American novel’.
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Hmmm, I think chicken BBQ with red onions and bacon. Though if we’re feeling cheap then it’s bacon and mushroom from Pizza Hut. So yes, I absolutely agree with bacon on pizza. 😉 I actually haven’t heard much about this one but it seems like one I’d really like. Especially after I just finished Owen Meany and fell in love. A week later and I still can’t talk about it without starting to sob!
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I’m fond of bacon and basil on my pizza. Owen Meany ranks up on my list of life changing books, so I know what you mean. This one is good, but not that good – though Irving says it’s great…
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