Triplets

by Joyce Rebeta-Burditt

Joyce Rebeta-Burditt's contemporary family saga about two sisters and a brother--who are triplets--is a nonstop read, remarkable for its funny dialogue, lively action, and sense of satire, as well as its keen perception of character and the poignant aspects of the lives of "ordinary" people.

Genres: Fiction

495 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 1981

Reviews

[Ruby Hollyberry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book appears to be quite obscure. I have had a hard time getting my own copy (I originally read it in a library) and now that mine's nearly read to death I will probably have another jolly time finding another. But it is an amazing book. Dated, yes, it is clearly a story of the 70's-80's, with frequent pop-culture references. But it is primarily an excellent novel of family dynamics and mental illness, and as such will never be dated. It's the story of a set of triplets, adults now, two identical girls and a boy. One of the sisters is perfect, the boy is perfect, and the third triplet, Jill, is a mess. Or at least this is the version of the story that her Irish-American family has always told. Jill is the narrator, and she has always accepted this story as the truth, even after she escaped a dull and lifeless marriage, overcame alcoholic tendencies and serious mental illness, and became a successful employee of an utterly eccentric and hedonistic television network. She is probably the most normal person there. But she is frequently called away from work lately by her tempestuous widowed mother and given the unfair job of trying to fix her angelic sister, who has suddenly gone crazy. Her sister has always been loopy, her OCD perfection was a kind of insanity in itself, and Jill is the only person who is not surprised. She also confronts the craziness of her equally OCD brother, her mother (and everyone's) denial of the truth about their dead father's imperfections, and a family secret that she and her siblings were never told. And all the while she is coping (or occasionally not) with her flaky ex-psychiatrist, strong and sensible teen daughter, disgustingly nice ex-husband, suicidal best friend, and an unbelievably, riotously hilarious batch of insane coworkers. Jill is a fun character, kind, gentle, sarcastic, and more than a little promiscuous. She has been the rebel, the scapegoat burdened with all the bad feelings in her family and the acter-out of all the impulsive silliness in all her too-rigid sibs; everything they did not dare to do for fear of failure, she has done and learned to succeed by failing. And now she is called upon to be the healer of her family, placating her manic mother (who is the funniest character in the book), and breaking down the barricades her siblings have erected around themselves to shut out even their own spouses and children. Jill does this thankful for the opportunity and almost without complaint, which is more than I could have stomached. She is a very lovable character and a heroine to be proud of.

[Kristina · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of the funniest, most touching dysfunctional family books I've ever read. I loved it. Not sure if it's still in print.

[Kathy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I gave up on this one. Just couldn't care about any of the characters.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book may have been written in the late 70’s early 80’s but still makes me laugh Always gets me out of bad mood. Hard to find book lost mine and bought off Amazon

[Roslyn Glynn · Rating 2 out of 5]

OK book about triplets very messed up lives.

[Kyrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's funny and quite sarcastic. I didn't like it as much as The Cracker Factory. I do think all three main characters are nuts.

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I registered a book at BookCrossing.com!
http://www.BookCrossing.com/journal/11379140

[Marlene Leblanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of the dialogue in this novel made me laugh out loud. Really enjoyed it even though the characters were in their own orbit.