Beth is the darling of God Halsa, a pharmaceutical giant, and she’s got the outrageous salary and lifestyle to prove it. Until she lands in white-collar women’s prison, thanks to a high-profile whistleblower suit.
Sam, Beth’s husband, is the golden boy who has never had to do anything for himself. Until his wife goes to jail, and he’s left to raise two daughters on his own.
Lise, the au pair, is the whistleblower. But is she? Everyone knows she’s not clever enough to have done it alone.
Hannah, Sam’s sister, is devoted to her family. There’s nothing she wouldn’t do for them.
Eva, Beth’s sister, is the smart one. (Read: not the pretty one.)
Martin, Beth’s brother, is the firstborn, the heir to it all. But what is he hiding?
Someone knows something. Someone betrayed Beth.
This is the story of the Min-Lindstroms. This is the story of the all-American family as it implodes under the weight of secrets, lies and the unchecked desire for wealth and power.
A.H. Kim (Ann) was born in Seoul, South Korea and immigrated to the U.S. as a young child. Ann was educated at Harvard College and Berkeley Law School, where she was an editor of the California Law Review.
Ann practiced corporate law for many years and served as chief of staff to the CEO and as head of investor relations at a Fortune 200 company.
Ann is the proud mother of two sons, a longtime cancer survivor, and community volunteer. After raising her family in the Bay Area, Ann and her husband now call Ann Arbor home.
Ann's debut novel, A GOOD FAMILY, was inspired by her personal experience supporting her brother and nieces while her sister-in-law served time in Alderson Women’s Prison Camp.
Ann’s second novel, RELATIVE STRANGERS, is a contemporary retelling of Sense and Sensibility and explores themes of love, loss, grief, and forgiveness. RELATIVE STRANGERS will be published in April 2024.
A beautifully written debut from A.H. Kim that I really wanted to love, but in the end, while I didn't dislike it, I just found myself somewhere in the lukewarm middle. I kept reading that it was "a domestic suspense that will keep you guessing." While it is truly a domestic suspense ripe with secrets, lies and deception; unfortunately, it did not keep me guessing. If you read many suspense/thrillers, the ending will not really surprise you, as the clues were pretty easy to follow.
The book begins with the pretentious Min-Lindstrom clan gathering at their plush vacation home to say farewell to one of the family members, Beth, who is heading to prison as the result of a whistle-blower suit. Beth Lindstrom, wife to Sam Min, and mother to two young daughters, is also a top marketing executive at a big pharmaceutical company, who has been charged with deceptively marketing a popular attention deficit disorder drug, which led to at least one death. Held up as a public example of corporate greed and executive excess, Beth receives a lengthy prison sentence. The family all gathers to say good-bye and to discuss how to keep the family together for the girls' sake.
I thought it was all a bit confusing and jumbled from the get-go. The story is told in alternative POVs from Beth, and Hannah Min, Sam's sister. Hannah is a single, unassuming, legal librarian, and extremely devoted sister to Sam and aunt to Sam and Beth's two daughters. Once Beth goes to prison, Hannah also becomes Beth's lifeline to the outside world, and eventually Beth asks Hannah to help her figure out who in her inner circle betrayed her. There are numerous suspects - Beth's jealous sister, Eva; shady lobbyist brother, Martin; ex-lover Charlotte; and even Sam himself. This is where I found the waters just a bit too murky. The other characters all sort of blurred together, as none of their stories really stood out to me, and the relationship between Beth, Charlotte, and Sam was just bizarre.
I did enjoy Beth's chapters in prison - that is where Kim shines - they were believable, interesting, and not too over-the-top. While none of the characters are extremely likable, I grew to begrudgingly respect Beth. On the other hand, I couldn't stand Hannah, which I don't think was Kim's intent; but her character turned me off in every way. Eventually, the truth comes to light and motivations become clear, and everyone must come to terms with the consequences of their actions and how those actions impact their relationships with each other.
Overall, a well-written debut that has moments of brilliance, but I just couldn't fully embrace it for some reason. Most other reviewers seem to have found it much more compelling than I though, so take it for what it's worth, but for me, it was a solid 3-star read.
I am so excited to see A.H. Kim's addition to Korean American literature with "A Good Family." This is a delicious thrill of a domestic drama, full of brewing mystery over who sent Beth, an ambitious, gorgeous wife, mother, sister-in-law and pharma executive, to prison.
At the center of this book are Beth and Hannah, two sisters-in-law bound together by their love for their family. Hannah is a Korean American law librarian, and her discoveries take surprising turns throughout the pages of "A Good Family." Kim writes with so much wit and with keen powers of observation -- it's obvious to the reader that this author knows the world she is depicting with hilarity, accuracy and, yes, a sharp-edged love.
Irreverent, sexy and rooted in real emotion, "A Good Family" hooked me from the beginning. I found myself wanting to return to Beth's luxurious, privileged world, skewered through Hannah's wry point of view. I found Hannah's struggle to keep her family together in crisis to be admirable, and I know this character will invite empathy from anyone who's fought that good fight.
This is not a thriller, more like a domestic drama. I loved the way it was unpacked. I even love the tool the writer used to give us librarians a major clue....
I highly recommend this compelling story. A. H. Kim artfully weaves together the lives of Hannah, the shy librarian, and Beth, her incarcerated sister-in-law. Someone set Beth up, and Hannah is the person Beth trusts to figure out who did it.
Thanks to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for review.
Ms. Kim's debut novel, A Good Family, is a compelling family drama that I enjoyed very much. Deeply devoted to her family, Hannah steps in and becomes the person the Min-Lindstroms depend on when her sister-in-law, Beth, is sent to jail for insider trading. Beth also enlists Hannah to uncover the identity of the whistle-blower in her case. I found this to be a fun read with intriguing characters and twists that kept me invested in the story until the end! I'll definitely be on the look out for more from this author.
Received an advance copy of the book, due out on July 14, 2020.
This is a fun read, full of complex characters. This book is a mystery: who sent the beautiful corporate executive Beth Lindstrom to prison? There are many suspects in her past idyllic life, each person not as perfect as they seem at first glance. I enjoyed how the author told this story from alternate points of view, including transcripts from the depositions. I also loved that the story was non-linear so we moved from present to past, putting the puzzle pieces together. A great debut novel!! If you are curious whether you will like A Good Family, you can visit the author's website at ahkim.net and read her blog posts. I haven't read them all (yet) but she has a very accessible, engaging writing style.
The author writes this family drama with humor and depth as she shares a detailed backstory with the reader. Hannah and Beth, the two main female characters, are sister-in-law opposites the reader gets to know easily as the alternate narrators through this book. Sam, Beth's husband and Hannah's brother, are who brings these two women together along with the love of family. And, there's also the whistle-blower lawsuit that sends Beth to prison for ten years. Yep, there's that too!
This is a family drama where deception, lies and untold truths begin to unfold and continue with just enough twists here and turns there to keep the reader invested to the end. The hunt to find the "real whistle-blower" is the goal but there is so much other "stuff" going on in the meantime....lots of "bits & pieces" and "odds & ends" that makes for great family drama!
This is a book I would definitely recommend to others.
Disclosure: I received an Advanced Reading Copy labeled as "Uncorrected Proof" from a Goodreads Giveaway. This is my honest review.
This was a story about a strange family. Two families who had similar Childhoods. Both families were from two different countries. One family from Korea and the other from Sweden. Their lives came together when the girl from Sweden married the boy from Korea!
Both families were in for some trouble when the Swedish mother got in trouble with the FBI and had to go to jail for 10 years.
The older siblings from both families tried to help raise the two little girls and they all had to spend Holidays together.
This was a good story that I will recommend to all my friends and family.
Highly recommended first novel by A.H. Kim. Suspenseful, witty, gripping narrative and surprise ending. Kim does a masterful job getting us hooked to her complex but realistic characters, whom we simultaneously love and hate. The way she seamlessly weaves in the past to give meaning to the moment the reader is engulfed in adds intensity and drama to the story. I literally could not put the book down. Kudos on a superb story!
This book felt obscene. There was no bad language or gratuitous sex, yet the extravagant spending, unbridled greed, and senses of entitlement regardless of consequences to one's "loved" ones disgusted me. I also was repelled by the ways in which sex was used; and by the unlimited willingness of some family members to depend on, or to be depended upon, by others.
This is a suspenseful domestic drama, full of secrets, sacrifice, and family.
Hannah has always been the responsible and protective older sister, especially after her parents died suddenly in a car accident. Sam was a less responsible younger brother who could not seem to deal with being a single father after his wife, Beth, went to prison. Beth was a very wealthy and successful business white woman and such a devoted mother to her two daughters. Could Hannah have been more successful in her career if she wasn’t so responsible and did not jump in to take care of Sam and Beth’s family?
I truly enjoyed the fascinating character studies in this book. Along with the Korean-American family bond, there were other important social issues such as interracial marriages and social success in this story. Also, there was a mystery of who is responsible for Beth being sent to prison.
I enjoyed the story very much and would recommend it to those who like mysteries and suspenseful dramas.
- Sunny K.
Click here to find the book at Prince William Public Libraries.
Thanks to the publisher, via Netgalley, for an advance e-galley for honest review.
This is one of the most solid family dramas I've read in a bit, with a combination of plot points that were occasionally a bit predictable and others that didn't go anywhere near where I'd expect. The high drama of Hannah trying to help her sister-in-law figure out which family member was involved in putting her in prison (and as a law librarian, being particularly suited to doing the research) made for a great story. This is a definite pageturner, and I'd be happy to read more books by this author!
This is an exciting debut from A.H. Kim. She provided extremely complex dynamics when portraying the Min-Lindstrom family. I loved how the secrets are all hidden and layered, and that there are distinct perspectives offering unique sides of the story. It was really interesting to understand the psychology and actions behind every individual’s behavior. I also appreciated getting a behind-the-scenes look into a white-collar women’s prison system.
I hit a slight snag in the last chapters because all the timing moved forward chronologically in the book except for a few critical scenes at the end. The dazzling reveal also got to me—I could actually understand it, but I felt like the story wrapped up too quickly afterward. I think I wanted it played out more and to have greater lasting effects.
A thrilling novel that really reaches deep and looks beyond the glossy veneer of one family to unearth some dark and ugly secrets.
Well that was unexpected! This is a funny and clever deep dive into the experience of a Korean-American woman whose brother marries into a wealthy Swedish-American family, one of whom is facing significant prison time for pharmaceutical fraud. Ms. Kim peels back layer after layer of two highly dysfunctional families in this well-written domestic drama and legal suspense novel. The less you know about the novel and the cast of characters the better your reading experience will be.
I was lucky enough to win an uncorrected copy of this book and it did not disappoint. The back and forth between past and present in each chapter was really well done and had some great sarcasm in which I actually laughed out loud. I would definitely recommend if you are looking for a quick, easy and entertaining read with a hint of a mystery
I really enjoyed this book, it is part family drama and part mystery as we try to figure out which family member conspired with Beth's nanny Lise to whistleblow on her work with her pharmaceutical company. The book is told from two different perspectives, beautiful, rich and successful Beth, and her sister-in-law Hannah. Most of Beth's scenes are told while she is in prison which I thought was really interesting and gave the story a bit of an "Orange is the New Black" vibe.
Most of the characters were very flawed. Based on the number of characters, it took me a little to get the family tree fully figured out and I felt like some of the secondary characters could have been a little better fleshed out. I really enjoyed the plot in general as well as digging through the family's dirty laundry to try to find the rat. Excited to go to the book discussion on this in a couple weeks with Angie Kim at Old Town Books!
This book is one part "Breaking Bad," one part "Orange is the New Black," one part "Desperate Housewives," and in all parts brilliant. I confess that I was never actually hooked by any of those shows, and yet I dove into this book and was swept up in the first few roller-coaster pages. Whether you're a true-crime and family-drama junkie or not, do not miss A Good Family!
The characters are perfectly balanced, so different from each other and yet connected by strings that you are never sure who's pulling. Little tastes of each family member's twisted pasts are scattered throughout the chapters, slowly revealing the tangled situation. I loved how the tale raveled and unraveled by turns. Who does each family member trust? And who should they trust?
The story only falls short of perfection in one aspect, which I won't ruin by spoilers. I would have liked just a little more time devoted to the aftermath of a certain tragedy; it almost seemed as if the characters involved rushed past their emotional reactions and moved straight to acceptance and healing. In the grand scheme of the story, the actions of the characters resonated with their personalities and emotions, and overall I felt very connected and satisfied by the ending.
I was lucky enough to join a video chat among A.H. Kim, Lydia Kang, and Tosca Lee, three new-to-me authors. For a debut author, A.H. Kim is fascinating, funny, and devious! I loved A Good Family, and I love the richly honeysuckle-scented candle she chose to include with purchases from my local bookstore! It is absolutely, definitely worth picking up a copy of this family-crime-mystery!
Sometimes I open a book and find a great surprise. This was a totally interesting story about a family Involved in a twisted web of lies. The story is narrated by Hannah and Beth. It is Hannah who is certainly the heroine of the novel, or not? Their lives revolve around Sam, Hannah’s brother, married to Beth.
There are twists and turns but this is not a traditional mystery, nor is it easily explained as a family saga. I was engrossed in the plot. I have had trouble reading during these weeks in quarantine, but I couldn’t put this down, quite a compliment. There are references to the concept of Big Pharma, prison life and unusual sexual exploits.
It’s meaty and easy to read. The writer has the ability to make each setting come alive, filled with details that draw the reader into the fascinating plot.
Thank you Netgalley for, for providing me with this totally enjoyable novel.
I watch and read a lot of mysteries, suspense and thrillers, so this book was right up my alley. I was so emotionally invested by the end that I couldn’t wait to see how it ended! Beth was my favorite character— well-illustrated backstory and enjoyed her bursts of snark. Can’t wait to read more AH Kim books!
There’s something special about an author’s first novel. Something inexplicably brave and daring in its creativity and energy. a good family represents everything exciting about a debut, and Kim weaves a thought-provoking study of family that will give you much to chew on!
I read a review that said this novel would make great television and I couldn’t agree more. It’s an engaging read, with a big cast of characters, that thrusts you into a super privileged world, and also provides interesting sneak-peek insights into prison life.
I believe anyone who enjoys a good mystery, family drama, along with lovers of Crazy Rich Asians will truly enjoy this one!
This book was on my reading list and I was pleased to win an uncorrected proof copy from a Goodreads giveaway. I enjoy a book with a mystery and "A Good family" did not disappoint, although it's not a mystery novel. This is Kim's first novel and I hope that another is in the works.
A GOOD FAMILY is an intriguing story about secrets and loyalty. The characters are well-crafted, and their complicated interpersonal dynamics kept me turning the pages. I found the conclusion to be both surprising and satisfying, a pleasant end to an enjoyable tale.
Disclosure: I received a free, uncorrected proof of this book.
I received this book as a Goodreads giveaway. The story was a little far fetched, but the writing kept me going to find out what really happened. Hannah was very naive. I wanted her to tell off Sam. The use of Lise's testimony was a good way to give clues to the story.
An engaging family "dramedy" by a 2020 debut novelist. It's socially astute with an endearing protagonist and well-timed twists that kept me turning pages into the night.
Wow! I really didn’t know what to expect when I started this book. I like the multiple POV—it was never boring. I do think it would be interesting to know a bit more about the other characters in a spin-off. Sam was surprisingly less than likable despite all that had happened. Nevertheless, the ending still surprised me. Definitely would recommend and would love to read more from this author. I received an ARC from NetGalley.
I really enjoyed this book. It is a bit of a mystery but more family drama than anything else. It is told in chapters that alternate between Hannah and her sister-in-law, Beth. With some books, one voice is a lot more interesting that the other, but here I found both stories equally compelling (there is significant overlap). I probably would have given this book a 5, but I thought the end was quite weak. I don't want to give any spoilers but the answer to "who turned in Beth" left me disappointed. I didn't find it believable and things wrap up too neatly and quickly. Still, it was an interesting read and I recommend it.