The Family Fang
Ratings17
Average rating3.9
A unique and very funny novel in which art imitates life and life imitates art, in the most mysterious ways 'Great art is difficult' that's the motto of the Family Fang. What's even more difficult is being raised by great artists. Just ask Buster and Annie, who spent their childhood starring in their parents' madcap performance art pieces. After all, when your art lies in subverting normality, it can be difficult to raise a normal family. Now that Buster and Annie have grown up, the chaos of their childhood has made it a struggle to adjust to life outside the fishbowl of their parents' strange world.
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For the first half of the book, it's a fun and occasionally funny story about an odd and dysfunctional family (who happen to be performance artists). In the second half, however, the tone shifts. The book becomes a rumination on the effects that parents can have on their children, and the events that seemed merely fun are viewed in a new light.
I didn't love everything about it. It has moments that connect emotionally, but a lot of it ended up feeling detached. I think it's worth reading, it's a strange and interesting story.
This book is a romp, and also a meditation on what art is. An object hanging in a gallery? Or is it the act of creating? Or is it the reaction of the observer? All of the above, I think. I'm wondering if we'll see Annie and Buster Fang again–I don't think Kevin Wilson is done with them!
