A first novel by Bill Clegg, "Did You Ever Have a Family?" is definitely worth finding and reading. Not a happy story, one of surviving loss and heartbreak, learning to let go and learning to accept kindness. Each chapter is told from the viewpoint of one of about ten characters, some in first person, some in third. The focal point of the story is a horrific accident that occurs hours before the book begins. Not every narrator knows about the event but each is drawn into it in some way, even unknowingly.
The book starts slowly and at times seems too meandering but that's because we are dealing with many personalities and not all of them are to the point. But as you read and as you learn bits about each narrator and as their pasts come into focus, you sense connections that are strong but not obvious between many of the people. They might not even know each other but some thread is woven through and around them that ties them to the others.
It's very moving, very absorbing. As soon as I finished it, I went back and read some of the chapters again, still piecing together small clues and little facts about what really happened and who these people really were. It isn't a long book, you can read it in two days, but take your time and savor it. It says a lot about the fragile connections that hold lives together, and because of that fragility, the book needs to be read gently and with respect.
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