This Is Not About Us

by Allegra Goodman

A kaleidoscopic portrait of a modern American family—steadfast, complicated, begrudging, and loving—from the bestselling author of Isola

Was this just a brief skirmish, or the beginning of a thirty-year feud? In the Rubenstein family, it could go either way.

When their beloved sister passes away, Sylvia and Helen Rubinstein are unmoored. A misunderstanding about apple cake turns into a decade of stubborn silence. Busy with their own lives—divorces, dating, career setbacks, college applications, bat mitzvahs and ballet recitals—their children do not want to get involved. As for their grandchildren? Impossible.

With This Is Not About Us, master storyteller Allegra Goodman—whose prior collection was heralded as “one of the most astute and engaging books about American family life” (The Boston Globe)—returns to the form and subject that endeared her to legions of readers. Sharply observed and laced with humor, This Is Not About Us is a story of growing up and growing old, the weight of parental expectations, and the complex connection between sisters—a big-hearted book about the love that binds a family across generations.

Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Audiobook, Contemporary, Jewish, Family, Short Stories

310 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 10, 2026

About the author

Hello, Good Readers!

My new book "This Is Not About Us" will be published in February! You can order it here.

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/bo...

My novel "Isola" is now in paperback. This is a historical novel based on the true story of a young woman who sails from France to the New World in 1542 and is marooned on an island in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence.

I am also the author of several other books including, "Sam," a novel about a young girl's exuberance, wonder, and ambition as she comes of age.

Jenna Bush Hager picked "Sam" for her Today Show book club and said, "Sam is about as perfect of a coming-of-age story as I have ever read."

About me: I was born in Brooklyn, but I grew up in Honolulu where I did not have to wear shoes in school until fifth grade.

I now live in Cambridge, MA and I own boots. In addition to writing fiction, I read a lot and teach on occasion. In my free time, I swim and walk around the city.

I have four children, now getting pretty grown up. My oldest son (an economist) reads everything. My second son (a law student and grad student in political theory) reads mostly non-fiction. I'm working on this! My third son (an aspiring chemist) loves science fiction, fantasy, and history. My daughter (a user experience designer) enjoys biography and YA novels--but only if they have exceptionally beautiful covers.

I read fiction, biography, history, poetry, and books about art. I also enjoy discovering authors in translation.

When I was a seven-year-old living in Hawaii, I decided to become a novelist--but I began by writing poetry and short stories.

In high school and college I focused on short stories, and in June, 1986, I published my first in "Commentary."

My first book was a collection of short stories, "Total Immersion."

My second book, "The Family Markowitz" is a short story cycle that people tend to read as a novel.

Much of my work is about family in its many forms. I am also interested in religion, science, the threats and opportunities of technology, and the exploration of islands, real, and imaginary.

My novel, "Kaaterskill Falls" travels with a group of observant Jews to the Catskill Mountains.

"Intuition" enters a research a lab, where a young post-doc makes a discovery that excites everybody except for one skeptic--his ex-girlfriend.

A rare collection of cookbooks stars in my novel, "The Cookbook Collector."

A girl named Honor tries to save her mother in my dystopian YA novel, "The Other Side of the Island."

With Michael Prince, I have co-authored a supercool writing textbook. If you teach composition, take a look at "Speaking of Writing: a Brief Rhetoric."

If you'd like to learn more about me and about each of my books, check out my website:

http://allegragoodman.com/

Find me on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/AllegraGoodman

Or on Instagram:

@allegragoodmanwriter

And of course, you can check out the reviews I post here on Goodreads. Generally, I use my Goodreads reviews to spotlight books I love and recommend.

Reviews

[Liana Gold · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️ 4 ⭐️ This is a nonlinear story about a Jewish American family that follows three generations post a family feud, exploring multigenerational dynamics, estranged relationships, exhausting expectations while simultaneously capturing their profound love and enduring legacy through an intimate and emotional writing that feels very relatable. It’s so well written, very poignant and deeply character driven. Goodman simply nails the “fragments” of daily life with grace and sharp observations of ties that bind a family.

The story begins with Jeanne who is dying from cancer. She’s one of the three sisters and the glue that holds the family together. With her passing, a family feud divides the remaining sisters apart and the story then follows years of grief, grudges, curveballs and celebrations. The storytelling captures the realities and expectations of domestic life and partnerships as well as the imperfections that make us unique in our own ways.

This book is perfect for anyone who loves reading about messy and complicated dynamics of a family life. Each chapter was like a slice of cake, a different point of view, told from a perspective of different family members. It carried a lot of weight that felt very familiar to me. From its quiet moments and the ‘in-betweens’, I loved the silence and its simplicity. I think this is what makes the novel outstanding.

I’ve been a fan of Allegra Goodmans’ writing since I’ve read Isola, which I can’t stop recommending enough! I can’t wait and see what else she has in store for us.


Many thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publisher and the author, Allegra Goodman for an early ARC.

Publication date: February 10, 2026

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A story about a Jewish American family, the Rubenstein’s.
Helen, Sylvia, and Jeanne are elderly sisters, Jeanne, the youngest is dying of cancer at the start of the novel , at her funeral gathering, Sylvia bakes an apple cake and Helen is furious saying that is her own cake recipe. This argument keeps them from talking to each other again.
The following chapters each follow a different extended family member.. sons, daughters, and grandchildren… their conflicts, grudges, special events, job troubles, relationship troubles, etc..
Through all the madness in life they all still want to connect with each other.
I enjoyed these stories of the family members and even though some times were trying…there was a lot of humor too.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House/ The Dial Press for the gifted ARC, in exchange for my honest review.

[Meagan (Meagansbookclub) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 rounding to 4

Expect a meandering family saga with a lot of characters and not much “plot.” It was good, but not great.

[Betsy Robinson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a saga of an extended family—Jewish Americans—that will appeal to people who live by the maxim, explicit or implicit, that "family is everything."

It is beautifully written and each chapter is as cohesive as a short story, so if you can't remember who everybody is in relation to the others, no problem: it will become clear.

Very well done.

[Papillon · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC of this novel. All my thoughts and opinions are my own.

Real rating: 1.6 stars

Everybody in this book is miserable and so am I.

This Is Not About Us is Not About Anything Remotely Interesting, unfortunately. This is not a story; this is a collection of stories about one large family told from various points of views.

I had to fight for every page I read and, even then, I genuinely cannot tell you a single thing about this book other than the fact that they’re Jewish and religious. There’s way too many family members and POV switches, none of whom have even a sprinkle of personality.

Nobody likes each other or themselves and I don’t like any of them either. More than once, I found myself scratching my head in wonder and contemplating what exactly was the author’s purpose in writing this novel. Now that I’ve finished it, I can confidently say I do not have an answer to this question.

[Holly R W · Rating 5 out of 5]

According to the author, the novel grew out of short stories that she first published in The New Yorker. Readers liked her stories so much that they wrote to her, asking questions about the characters and asking her to write more stories about them. The stories formed a book about a contemporary Jewish American family of three generations.

This is the book that I've been waiting for. It chronicles a normal family without pathology or extreme trauma. The characters seem real - like people I know. Not everyone gets along. The three matriarchal sisters can be difficult. Characters experience naturally occurring life challenges: divorce, job loss and misunderstandings.

As a Jewish person myself, I was pleased to see how Reform/Conservative Judaism is portrayed in the novel. Life cycle events and holidays are treated in a natural way.

Just like the magazine readers, I would enjoy more books like this, please!


Note: My favorite character is Lily. She is 10-13 years old in the years the book spans. We watch as she struggles with her parents' divorce, weathers the demands of school and her strict ballet teacher, and overcomes her stage fright to shine at her Bat Mitzvah. Interestingly, the author said that she had the easiest time with writing her younger characters.

A separate story that I liked involved parents making a vegan Seder to please their young adult daughter. The food was kosher for Passover, although nontraditional ( a flour-less lasagna for the main course?) Guests included two strapping male teen cousins. At the end of the meal, nothing was left - the hard boiled eggs, the charosets, and even every parsley sprig were gone! The guests had been hungry, but too polite to complain. (The hostess was chagrined.) I thought it was funny.

[Dona's Books · Rating 1 out of 5]

I loved Isola, but I'm so disappointed with this one.

Pre-Read Notes:

Allegra Goodman wrote Isola, which was probably my favorite read of 2025. So I requested this arc and probably would have sold a toe to get a copy.

I tend to be interested in stories about silences in families, so the title of this book grabbed me. From the opening moment, the reader can feel the complicated separation between the members of this family. Goodman is pretty great with opening up a story.

"So, this was freedom. Perfect emptiness. This was what he had been waiting for. What did it say about him that his first impulse was to buy something?" p160

Final Review

(thoughts & recs) Well I loved Isola but I did not like this. I don't recommend it because of the many expressions of ableism and the fact that I can't tell if the author is calling them out of not. I think the book is well-written and I was enjoying it before the stuff about childhood trauma. TW for child abuse for the rest of this review.

And for everything I had to say about it on my way through, I come away with no real idea what I read or if it had a point.

I'm quite sorry I didn't like this one more.

A Few Things:

✔️ "Their living doll with her blond curls and round blue eyes. [...T]hey’d pulled her in their wagon over grass bumpy with apples from the apple tree. Later, ... Helen and Sylvia had walked their little sister to school. Now it was dreadful to approach her— hair just wisps, voice nearly gone, her cough breaking every sentence. Horror, pity, shame. Jeanne’s older sisters felt all that at once, to see her now and to remember her as she had been." p10 Goodman impeccably depicts both sisterhood and death anxiety in one short passage. Dang this author blows my mind.

✔️ Allegra uses big clots of adjectives, like three or four at once in their own sentences. This creates a potent effect. Sometimes I like it. Others? Slow. Clunky. Annoying.

✔️ "Yes, you had a difficult childhood, but do you have to traumatize everybody else too? Haven’t you heard of food banks?" p I resent the suggestion that surviving trauma in childhood makes someone abusive. Some of us get therapy and turn out real nice. Also, people who grow up in stable homes can turn into absolutely terrible people. Violence and abuse are not reliable indicators of childhood trauma and many perpetrators report stable or non-abusive upbringings. Additionally, childhood trauma is extremely common. As for abuse, according to UNICEF, 60% of children under 5 around the globe have experienced corporal punishment or psychological harm, which means childhood abuse is the norm, not the exception. Child abuse is the most common form of domestic violence and the least researched and least resourced. I encourage fiction writers to hesitate before suggesting or saying that violence follows trauma in their characters. The reality doesn't bear that idea out. This book contains other instances of ableism also. I'm calling it out here because I can't tell if the author is calling out these (regrettably common) prejudices, or if she agrees with them. If she is calling them out, it's not clear that she is and so she's just proliferating the stigma.

✔️ Experimental elements such as mid-scene POV switch from third to second person and back fall flat.

Content Notes: ableist language, ableism, anti-trauma sentiments, pathologizing violence, divorce, depression,

Thank you to the author Allegra Goodman, Random House, and NetGalley for an accessible digital arc of THIS IS NOT ABOUT US. All views are mine.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

After loving Isola, I was excited to dive into this one. This Is Not About Us is a layered, very witty, sometimes tender look at generations of an American Jewish family—and all the drama that comes with them.

At the center are the Rubinstein sisters, elderly and stubborn, whose long-simmering feud famously erupts over a cake (or was it apple pie?). But as you can imagine, it’s not really about the dessert. The argument surfaces while their youngest sister at age seventy-four is dying of cancer, and what seems petty on the outside is actually years of hurt, expectations, and unresolved history bubbling up.

From there, the story expands into a full multi-generational portrait—children, grandchildren, marriages, divorces, disappointments, bat mitzvahs, holidays, and all the messy in-between. Goodman really takes her time developing each character. Some storylines were more compelling than others, and yes, a few sections dragged a bit, but I appreciated how fully she let us inhabit their lives.

I liked how seamlessly Jewish traditions, foods, and celebrations are woven into the narrative. The holidays and rituals aren’t just background—they frame the family’s milestones, grief, and conflicts. You feel how faith and expectation shape each person’s choices.

At its heart, this is a story about love, death, family expectations and estrangement, and the complicated bonds that don’t break. It’s about them, but perhaps also about all of us.

Thank you to NetGalley and The Dial Press || Random House for the advance copy.

[Tiffany · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, Random House | The Dial Press, for sending me this ARC. This one looks interesting.


This is definitely a book that invites readers into a lively and chaotic family gathering. You may feel unsure about being there (it feels a bit messy at times), yet you can’t help but stay engaged. There is surely tension, but also tenderness and humor. A bittersweet story for sure. I really enjoyed the range of emotions this book encompasses.

I liked how the book is written, following an "episode" like structure. Each part focuses on a different family member. I did struggle at times to remain interested. It is a slow burn, and usually, I am okay with that, but this would lack the connection I desire. Perhaps because it spans three generations, each chapter features extended relatives. It just felt like a little too much for me. Perhaps listening to the audio version would have helped me.

If you enjoy family sagas, this oen is for you! 3 Stars for me!

Pub Date: Feb 10, 2026

As always, all thoughts are my own. 🖤💫

[Tini · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is actually about all of us.

Meet the Rubinsteins - a family as loving, infuriating, and dysfunctional as they come, and all the more lovable for it.

In This Is Not About Us, Allegra Goodman delivers a layered, sharply observed portrait of a family whose lives unfold across years of small misunderstandings, stubborn silences, celebrations, and reconciliations that don^t always quite happen.

Forget <i>Isola</i>^s isolation - the Rubinsteins are a big, though not always happy, family. Thankfully, the novel opens with a gift to the reader: an extremely helpful family tree that maps out the many branches of the Rubinstein clan. It quickly proves necessary, as each branch receives its own chapters, sometimes intersecting, sometimes diverging as the narrative moves fluidly through time, often skipping ahead from one chapter to the next. Much to her credit, Goodman resists the temptation to tie everything up in tidy bows. Not every conflict is resolved, not every issue cleared up, not every transgression forgiven. And that's exactly what makes this book feel so beautifully, hauntingly real.

At the center of the story are elderly sisters and family matriarchs Sylvia and Helen Rubinstein, whose relationship fractures after the death of their beloved youngest sister - sparked, improbably yet perfectly, by a disagreement over apple cake that stretches into years of stubborn silence. Meanwhile, life moves on around them: divorces and dating, career disappointments, college applications, bat mitzvahs, ballet recitals, and grandchildren arriving into the fold. The family grows even as certain wounds remain stubbornly open.

Goodman captures these shifting dynamics with warmth, wit, and emotional precision. The writing is elegant and often dryly funny, and by the time the final page arrives, it's genuinely difficult to say goodbye to the Rubinsteins - you feel almost like an honorary member of the family, for better or for worse.

Tender, witty, and deeply perceptive, This Is Not About Us is a beautifully written and profoundly relatable family saga - one that understands that love and resentment often live side by side at the same crowded dinner table.

Many thanks to Random House | The Dial Press for providing me with an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

"This Is Not About Us" was published on February 10, 2026, and is available now.

[Jessica Woodbury · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have been reading Allegra Goodman novels for a very long time, maybe twenty years. To me, as a long time reader, This Is Not About Us is a return to form, a book about family, about being Jewish, about people whose wants and needs push up against each other.

It can be quite difficult to write a novel with this many characters (well over a dozen), and it's harder to divide the book up among so many different points of view. But when this type of book is done well, it's one of my favorite things to read. A skillful author can shift the way you see situations and characters simply by giving you two different perspectives in two different chapters.

This is yet another novel about generational conflicts and the ways people become estranged from one another, but it doesn't feel caught up in this present idea that estrangement is a new idea, that it always happens in a particular way. Here, two sisters in their 80's who no longer speak (over a cake!) are just one way that a family's conflicts and disagreements and misunderstandings play out. It's deftly done, and I never minded switching to a new perspective, always a danger in this type of story. Each new one pulled me in and I accepted it, like moving through one warm bath after another. There is one story that doesn't fit, and it wasn't until nearly the end of the novel that I could even tell who this character was, but even that story was nice enough.

I suspect that readers who have come to Goodman more recently will be confused by this book, since her more recent novels have mostly been about young people. She writes them well, perhaps the biggest challenge here is writing characters with a 70-year span in age effectively. But I will happily take more of this.

[Erin · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC for review. To be published February 10, 2026.

3 stars

A story about three Jewish sisters, their children and grandchildren (I mention they are Jewish only because it is central to some of the story.) All of the lives seem melancholy or worse, and, honestly, reading this infected me and made me feel a little down myself. It’s not that it’s a bad book; maybe I just read it at the wrong time.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is Not About Us takes a deep dive into the multigenerational Rubenstein family who come together after the death of their sister. The story explores the intricacies and complexities of each familial relationship.

This is Not About Us is written uniquely, and each chapter tells the story of a different family member. I really enjoyed the humorous moments and how the story was written with so much heart.

Allegra Goodman is clearly a brilliant author. Her prior work, Isola, was one of my top reads of 2025. However, I did find This is Not About Us to be a bit too slow moving. I typically love books about families but I had a difficult time getting invested in the story. But even though This is Not About Us wasn't a favorite of mine, I still see a lot of readers who will absolutely love this one.

I listened to the audiobook format which is read by Kimberly Farr who did an excellent job narrating.

This is Not About Us by Allegra Goodman will be available on February 10. Many thanks to Penguin Random House Audio for the gifted audiobook!

[theliterateleprechaun · Rating 4 out of 5]

This contemporary story, highlighting three generations of Rubinsteins, a Jewish-American family, is set between 2015 - 2017 and gives readers a peek behind the curtain at the ‘blessings’ of family.

When the youngest of the Rubinstein sisters passes away, the remaining sisters struggle to hold the multi-generational family together. Jeanne, at 74, was definitely the glue that held the family together.

I found myself smiling at the cause of sibling grievances, about how the different generations dealt with grief and the importance each placed on different things. Sylvia and Helen soon learn that life goes on despite their radio silence…it’s not just about them!

Goodman has written a quiet, unassuming novel that becomes a mirror for readers to see the value in enjoying the diversity of each other and the precious time we spend together.

I was gifted this copy and was under no obligation to provide a review.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy a good family saga, and this one was very well done. The novel traces three generations of an American family. Three sisters constitute the mothers/grandmothers and their children and grandchildren are the remaining characters. Each character’s life is portrayed in one or more separate chapters. What I most enjoyed about this novel was that the characters were not crazy, tragic or highly unique, rather they were just very real people dealing with life issues that we all face. The family dynamics included adult and child sibling issues, blended family issues and job loss issues. Each concept was well portrayed and felt extremely real. The family members squabble and love – just like my family does.
Allegra Goodman is a very capable writer. I’m not sure what could be more different from Isola (which I loved) than this novel of a modern family - but she “got” it! This well portrayed novel about the interactions among family members will keep me hoping for more from her.

[BookOfCinz · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you love family drama, this is good read. It is a bit melancholy for the most part and dragged in certain aspect but an overall ok read.

[Bruce Katz · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5. Charming, insightful, true to life, touching… What else can I say? I’m terribly sorry I finished it and there’s no more left to read. I hope to come back and try to explain what I liked so much.

[Ellery Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you enjoy family stories with multiple POVS, this one's for you.

I'm always intrigued by history behind a family feud, and for this Jewish-Americna family, the Rubensteins, the feud between two sisters begins at a deathbed and continues until the birth of a baby. In between these milestones, we accompany the family members as they navigate the big and small details of their lives. Some themes include:
✡️ Music
✡️ Faith
✡️ Women's roles
✡️ Divorce
✡️ Food
Each character is vibrant and real. I listened to the audiobook and the narration was excellent.

[Shantha (ShanthasBookEra) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75 stars rounded up
"A kaleidoscopic portrait of a modern American family—steadfast, complicated, begrudging, and loving—from the bestselling author of Isola."

Sisters Helen and Sylvia haven't spoken for a decade over an apple cake. This family saga of a Jewish American family introduces us to each of the sister's children and grandchildren. Each chapter seems like a separate story rather than flowing as one story as much as I would have preferred. What it does a great job at is showing how small things in a family can tear us apart but the love always brings us back. It also explores parental expectations for their children regarding academics and extracurricular activities. It is beautifully written and relatable. If you enjoy family sagas this is a good one.

The audiobook performance by Kimberly Farr is excellent and adds to story. It was a great companion to my digital copy.🎧

Many thanks to NetGalley, The Dial Press, PRH Audio and Allegra Goodman for an advance reader's copy and advance listening copy. All opinions are my own.

[Fran Hawthorne · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally boosted to 3 stars because it's not terrible...

This book of fiction consists of 17 stories about the same group of approximately 20 people--a contemporary, suburban, Jewish family based near Boston--told from varying points of view. Each story can stand on its own but is enhanced by the context of reading the others.

As a concept, this structure was brilliantly used by Julia Phillips in "Disappearing Earth" and Tommy Orange in "There There," both of which were award-winning debuts.
However, a key difference is that there was a dramatic narrative line connecting the chapters in those two lauded books: Would the two little kidnapped sisters be rescued? (Disappearing Earth) Would the bomb be found before it exploded in the Big Oakland Powwow? (There There)

This book, by contrast, is simply a series of ordinary--sometimes cliched--tales about nice people without much at stake. Will Lily flub her bat mitzvah reading? Will Nate get accepted into Brown University? Even the plot lines that would seem more significant - will Steve get a a job? will Richard lose contact with. his daughters? -- dissipate because either they are quickly resolved in subsequent chapters or they never reappear at all.
The chapters are like episodes in a TV series: You know that the "problem" has to be resolved by the time the episode ends.

I finally pushed the rating up because a few of the chapters -- in particularly, "New Frames," "Nutcracker" and "Deal Breaker" --tiptoed haltingly into genuine emotional dilemmas of family relationships: Richard's panic that his preteen daughters are drifting away from him. His ex-wife Debra's wracking doubt about whether to pull those daughters out of the ballet class they love, but that's taught by a sadistic Russian Grande Dame. Pam's effort to connect honestly with her parents. The chapters started.... but like the rest of the book, dribbled away.

(Still, since two of those three "best" chapters came late in the book, this is more proof that we should not give up on novels too soon. Please read till the very end!)

[Ellen Ross · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is so relatable. Family feuds, grief, and all of the big events in life - everything is included in this story. I loved the characters and saw parts of myself in each of them. Loved the humor sprinkled throughout and the banter between characters. There were so many relatable themes especially ageing and the pressure of parental expectations but really this book is nostalgic for any reader because it’s about the ties that bind us as family.
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Keely · Rating 2 out of 5]

While there’s no denying Allegra is a talented writer, this one just didn’t do it for me. The story moves slowly through various family dynamics, with each chapter focusing on a different member and their personal struggles. Unfortunately, I never felt truly pulled in or invested in any of them. The pacing dragged, the tension I expected from a family rift never really landed, and by the end, nothing seemed to come together in a satisfying way.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t want this story to end. Pubs Feb 10, 2026.

Three sisters of a Jewish American family live their lives surrounded by family members whom they love and love arguing with. Traditions are important but oft times silly involving more, ‘we always do it this way.’ The grandchildren typically get impatient with their elders.

To me this family seems totally normal. Squabbles between generations no matter your culture. Having grown up in a large Italian American family so similar.
The youngest sister dies of cancer after a gallant fight as the book opens at her funeral. The older sisters compete with apple cake, a revered family recipe. One brings it to the catered post funeral meal and the riff begins.

Love, humor and pettiness abound within the families. Divorce, estranged kids, new lives merge with tradition. It’s all of us, all families. I loved it.

Thanks Netgalley and Dial Press.

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Allegra Goodman is simply brilliant. Her range in writing is amazing. Just compare and contrast the content and style of "This is Not About Us," with "Isola" to see how versatile and mentally flexible she is.

Bringing together a series of short stories into a cohesive and interesting novel, as she did, is a feat, requiring skill and precision. Her ability to create realistic, lovable, and flawed characters is extraordinary, and her ability to help the reader find the overriding theme of continuation is first rate.

“This Is Not About Us” is a clever, funny, sad story with smart writing and dialogue about three generations of a modern American Jewish family. The book is woven together with chapters that are each a short story. Allegra Goodman, for me, is the successor, the one who follows in the steps of the great Polish author, Israel Joshua Singer, who wrote “The Brothers Ashkenazi.”

It is only through stories of family love, tradition, conflict between individuals, and accentuation of individual differences, that readers can glimpse a subculture or past world they are not otherwise privy to. This is what Allegra Goodman has done with her three-generation Jewish family saga, a family living on the East Coast, in the U.S., in the early twenty-first century. Brava!

Some will look back on “This Is Not About Us” …if we have reading and books and humans in 75 years… they will remark “So that’s how my people lived. That is how we Jews lived in America in the early twenty-first century.”

[Seawitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️ rounded up.

This enticing hardcover book was a Valentine’s Day gift from my husband. I’m not sure how he chose it but maybe he liked the big Bundt cake on the cover.

I had recently read Isola by the same author and the two books are very different. I’m fascinated by authors who can write such different kinds of stories.

I always like family sagas and this one is about a typical NJ Jewish family and a grudge that goes on too long. I loved that some of it was set in the town I grew up in and enjoyed the nostalgia of references to things and places that were part of my youth.

I think the premise of this story was good and I like the writing style, but the ending felt a bit abrupt for me.

[Amy Hagberg · Rating 1 out of 5]

I made it to 27%, but this never grabbed my attention. Life is short and there are just too many good books to read!

[Geneiveve “Annie” Jannetti · Rating 2 out of 5]

Have you ever walked away from reading a book, shaking your head. and saying “What’s the point?” Well, This Is Not About Us is that very book. It was a real waste of my time. The book has all these little stories in it that never really come together to convey cohesiveness. Many times books will have a bunch of stories within them, but then the stories all come together and they relate to each other some way creating a plot. That never happens with this book. The first chapter started was decent and made me think the book was going to be good but after that, it was all downhill. I would definitely not recommend this book to people because it would be a waste of their time.

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Boring with (I know it’s in the title, okay?, but I wasn’t prepared) selfish annoying characters

[Robin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the opening story of This is Not About Us, sisters Helen and Sylvia become estranged after the funeral of their younger sister, Jeanne, in a dispute over an apple cake. Told in a series of interconnected stories about this extended family, Goodman explores the ties that bring them together and the history and emotions that keep them apart. There is Phoebe, the granddaughter who busks with Jeanne's priceless violin, the Nutcracker dancing obsession of granddaughters, a visit to Tanglewood, and many family celebrations. Occasionally very funny (as in the dueling seders held by Jeanne's sons,) often very moving, and always absorbing, I loved this novel.

[Jill Meyer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allegra Goodman’s new novel, “This is Not About Us”, was a very entertaining family novel I really enjoyed. The style it was written in - seemingly a series of Short Stories - which when put together in book form makes a novel.

Looking at some of the other reviews, it seems as if some readers were confused. I wasn’t confused after I read the book. It made sense to me and Goodman’s writing is so good she was able to pull off a convincing storyline. What you don’t have is a completely linear story line. Occurrences in one chapter may not continued in another one. But if you read it with an open mind, you’ll enjoy it.

J