The Family Fang

by Kevin Wilson

Paperback

Published April 17, 2012

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads data base.

Reviews

[P. Rohrer-Walsh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading The Family Fang felt like stepping into a Wes Anderson film—quirky and increasingly unsettling. It would be hard to find parents more self-serving and devious than Camille and Caleb Fang. They manufacture havoc, danger, and insecurity, all in the name of art.

If there’s any question about Kevin Wilson’s stance on the limits of art, the parents’ final “project” puts that to rest. What begins as a darkly comic satire of performance art evolves into a fast-paced and deeply disturbing story about the cost of devotion and the collateral damage of genius.

quotes...

"What you'll find, I think, is that the things you most want to avoid are the things that make you "feel the greatest when you actually do them." 64

"We live on the edge...a shantytown filled with gold-seekers. we are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us." 127

...only difficult art is worthwhile, something that leaves behind scorched earth after it takes off. 145

He felt certain that he was a failure, every artistic endeavor ending with his own surprise at how little had come from it. perhaps that was how life worked, the expectation of success after each failure the engine that kept the world turning. perhaps retrogression was an artistic endeavor in itself. perhaps he might sink so far that he would find himself, somehow, returned to the surface. 163

Art, if you loved it, was worth any amount of unhappiness and pain. if you had to hurt someone to achieve those ends, so be it. if the outcome was beautiful enough, strange enough, memorable enough, it did not matter. it was worth it. 190

"We want to find them and show them that they can't do whatever they want, just because they think it's beautiful." 210

"Conventional lives are the perfect refuge if you are a terrible artist." 203

"You two are great artists," Hobart said as the two siblings walked back to their rental car. "You can separate reality from art. A lot of us can't do that." 204

"If a movie is really amazing," she said "you can't ruin it by giving the plot away. The plot is incidental to everything else. 234

[Deda · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars, rounded up. This is the same author of "Nothing To See Here", and there are several nods to it throughout this book (even though The Family Fang was published before Nothing To See Here), so I found that rather interesting. This book is different and challenges the idea of what is great art. However, it is also quite sad because in the Fang family's desire to create great art... to make those present experience emotions as their "art" is occurring... the parents essentially failed to nurture their own children. If I were to read only one book by Kevin Wilson, I would choose to read the quirky Nothing To See Here over this one.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

“I’m kind of in a weird place at the moment,” Buster said.

“I imagine, if I might be frank with you, Buster, that you spend most of your time in kind of a weird place,” Kizza offered, not unkindly.

Overall, I really enjoyed this. Although I found the plot engaging, for me it was really secondary to the characters, who had so much depth. Their actions were true to character without being predictable.

Beautifully written, laugh out loud funny, and just the right amount of bizarre to hold my interest. Highly recommend.

[Kate Ellesworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Despite the cover this is decidedly not a book for children or YA. It is a strange (at times sexually violent) tale that at its best echos the wild and wacky wonderfulness of Shirley Jackson, but drifts into just too much trauma to find funny in the end- on the final pages I felt exhausted by the narcissistic parents and had let go of the thread carrying me through the mystery of their choices and the impact on their children.

Original plot-yes. But you can sit this one out.

[Emily O'Keefe · Rating 3 out of 5]

Bizarre and weird but those were the parts I liked. There was a long stint of boring in there where Child A is just an alcoholic and Child B had no backbone whatsoever. The ending was also very meh. Overall a fun story but I would have liked a better ending.

[Richard Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Diverting novel about family dysfunction.

[Lainie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Unsettling avant-guarde novel. Although there are many aspects that showcase the authors accomplishments, I’m just not hip enough to appreciate this story.

[Rachel Rosolina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have loved everything I’ve read by Kevin Wilson. This was no exception. Quirky and emotional and hilarious, The Family Fang will make you rethink those odd intrusive thoughts and realize your parents could have been weirder after all.

[Amanda Borys · Rating 1 out of 5]

I did not finish this book. I found the characters to be too boring and pathetic to care about and couldn't make it 300 pages.