The House of Broken Angels

One of the things that was confirmed for me in reading this book is that I don't like stories of complicated families in which the entire book is about that. I don't mind complicated families participating in some sort of intricate plot, and I don't mind stories without plot if I enjoy the characters. But this book reminded me, in a very different cultural context, of my reading experience with Anne Tyler's Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant. The book centers around a dying man, who has to host his mother's funeral the day before what will be his last birthday party. That's the entirety of “what happens” in the book, but it really just serves as the framework to explore the back stories of all the family members who are coming to these two celebrations. There are important issues of identity in this book, and it is very well written, but it wasn't a favorite for me.