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Did You Ever Have A Family

Bookreporter.com Bets On...

Did You Ever Have A Family

September 2015

When I first conceptualized “Bookreporter.com Bets On,” my goal was to give notice to books that might slip under your radar. I decided that Bill Clegg’s novel, DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY, would be a Bets On selection last December when I tore through it over the holidays. I was just wild about it. Since then, it has been longlisted for both the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Award. I think being a Bets On selection pales next to those honors.

When the book opens, a woman is dealing with a tragedy at her home, trying to piece together what happened and cope with the loss of many she loved. To me, the varying interconnected characters were reminiscent of OLIVE KITTERIDGE. I confess, though, that in the latter book, I did not like the main character, thus it was not one of my favorites --- though the conclusion was satisfying.

Conversely, in DID YOU EVER HAVE A FAMILY, I immediately became attached to the characters, and the twists and turns kept me reading. I was invested in the story and loved how it spread across a broad canvas, but came together in a realistic way. It reminded me how, while we are far-flung these days, there are many connections binding us together, some completely unexpected. Bill worked on this book for seven years; in his "day job" he is a literary agent. He spoke about the fact that, as he was writing, he realized that he has not lost anyone dear to him in his life, but he was inspired to write this book by the fear of losing someone and found exploring that to be an intriguing idea. The way you are empathetic towards the characters speaks to how his goal was accomplished.

Sadly Bill’s dad passed away last month after a long illness, which made the timing of this release and the messaging he felt as he was writing the book so bittersweet. I had the pleasure of interviewing Bill at BookExpo America. This will be a terrific book group discussion title!

Did You Ever Have A Family
by Bill Clegg

  • Publication Date: May 17, 2016
  • Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction
  • Paperback: 320 pages
  • Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
  • ISBN-10: 1476798184
  • ISBN-13: 9781476798189