Book Review: "Grown Ups" by Marian Keyes
“Grown Ups” by Marian Keyes
Synopsis: They're a glamorous family, the Caseys. Johnny Casey, his two brothers Ed and Liam, their beautiful, talented wives and all their kids spend a lot of time together--birthday parties, anniversary celebrations, weekends away. And they're a happy family. Johnny's wife, Jessie--who has the most money--insists on it.
Under the surface, though, conditions are murkier. While some people clash, other people like each other far too much . . .
Still, everything manages to stay under control--that is, until Ed's wife, Cara, gets a concussion and can't keep her thoughts or opinions to herself. One careless remark at Johnny's birthday party, with the entire family present, and Cara starts spilling all their secrets.
As everything unravels, each of the adults finds themselves wondering if it's--finally--the time to grow up.
Rating: 4.25
Trigger warnings: bulimia
Review: There are a few authors that I associate with my first “adult” reads: Jane Green, Sophie Kinsella, Emily Giffin, and of, course, Marian Keyes. The first book I read by her was “The Other Side of the Story” — I still have my well-loved copy in my bedroom — and I quickly fell in love with her writing style. I spent a few summers in my late teens with the Walsh sisters, reading all of her books poolside. For some reason, I forgot about her in the intervening years, and when I saw “Grown Ups” in a bookstore last fall, I immediately grabbed it out of nostalgia, honestly not even expecting much.
Well, let me just say here: Marian Keyes has only gotten better with age.
This is the story of the three Casey brothers and their families. Johnny, his wife Jessie, and their kids are the most traditionally successful (i.e., they have the most money). Then there’s Liam, who is a bit of a lovable scamp and impulsively married someone way younger than him who is a bit of a free spirit after divorcing his first wife. Finally, we have Ed, Cara, and their kids, who are just your average family. The book opens with Johnny’s birthday party, and a concussed Cara opens a bit of a Pandora’s box of just-under-the-surface family secrets. We then get to go back in time about 6 months to see how the Casey family got there, and wow, is it a wild ride.
I want to warn you — the book does go into the individual stories of each of these families, and it doesn’t follow a fully linear timeline. That said, I didn’t find it hard to follow, but I did want you to be aware that it isn’t a easy to read story; it’s a bit messy, just like our main characters. It is also long, which I loved because I adored this family, but it did take me about 75ish pages to get into it. It’s a slow burn, but a great read.
I cannot imagine trying to keep all of these threads separate and weaving together a story of this magnitude, but Marian Keyes has always been a talented drafter of family dramas. What’s amazing to me is how quickly I felt like I knew everyone in this story, and how captivated I was by their everyday lives. We get to see the good, the bad, and the ugly; but also the funny, the relationships, and the deep love that connects all of these individuals together. It’s remarkably well-written, and she doesn’t shy away from hard topics like adultery, eating disorders, refugees, and social media manipulation. In that, it feels so realistic and almost voyeuristic.
I believe this book is a standalone, but I would love if it would be a series — I really want to go back and see how the Caseys are doing in the future.
TL;DR: A clever and honest look at family relationships - mess, betrayal, secrets and all - by one of my favorite storytellers.
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