If I could just get to the genetic core of myself, I could solve all my problems — and fix them. I could fix my father’s, too, and my mother’s, and Steven’s. I could glue things back together, build things back from nothing, stitch in the right piece of DNA and remove the wrong one. It was all there before our eyes, both too small and too big to understand.
(from The Visibles, page 298)
The Visibles is set in the New York City area from 1992 to 2003, telling the story of Summer Davis and her dysfunctional family. In high school, a biology substitute tells Summer’s class that DNA contains everything they need to know about their past and future, and because of it, their lives are forever entwined with their parents’. Summer becomes almost obsessed with the idea of DNA and what it says about people, going so far as to start on the path toward a career in genetics.
Summer holds on to this tidbit of information because of all the troubles in her family. Her mother abandons the family, her brother spouts out hateful speech due to a fear of terrorists in the wake of the first World Trade Center bombing, and her father has been losing his grip on reality for years as the result of a hidden relationship during his youth that ended with a fatal car accident. As the years pass, her mother does not return and her brother goes away to college, leaving Summer to care for her father alone — even going as far as turning down opportunities to further her education because she feels as though she needs to be there for his electroconvulsive therapy treatments.
Summer needs to be needed to the point where she entirely forgets about her own happiness. When she feels her father no longer needs her help, she moves on to care for her Aunt Stella, who underscores the family’s mental problems but is the most lively, entertaining character in the book.
I cautiously stood. She took my hands and started swinging them around. Then she started bending her knees and knocking her hips back and forth. “What are you doing?” I asked.
“Don’t you hear Elvis?” she demanded.
I stared at her. She pointed to her temple. “It’s here. It’s inside of you, too. I know it is. Dance with me.”
“I don’t think we should dance at a…a wake,” I whispered, peeking inside. My father was still talking to the Lizard. I didn’t see Steven. Maybe he’d slipped out back, yelling at some black people he’d mistaken for terrorists. There was a dead person I was related to inside the house.
“You’re way too young to be so miserable,” Stella scolded, still dancing. “You’re too much like Ruth. She hated Elvis, you know. Thought he was obscene. And look where that got her!” She pointed through the funeral home door toward the coffin, her movements growing more pronounced. If she swung her back end a few inches to the left, she’d take out one of the potted plants. “Come on,” she urged. (page 91)
In The Visibles, Sara Shepard tells a complex story about a confused young woman who struggles to make sense of her father’s mental illness and is scared that she might be going crazy, too. Relationships take center stage in this novel; Summer’s romance with Philip, whom she met as a teenager but didn’t see again for many years, her friendship with her high school friend Claire, and her tentative relationship with her father’s girlfriend Rosemary all play a major role in Summer’s story.
Entwined with Summer’s first person narrative are letters written by her father to various people in his past and his present, and while these passages are intended to explain his mental illness and add a little bit of mystery with regard to the revelation from his girlfriend prior to the car accident that took her life, I found them a bit confusing at first. I wasn’t sure who the narrator of these passages was at first, and even after uncovering that mystery early on, I found that they hindered the novel’s flow. However, they didn’t detract from my enjoyment of the book.
The Visibles is quiet novel about family troubles and mental illness. I kept waiting for a buildup in tension that would explode into some significant event, but it didn’t happen. There were revelations and resolutions, but like real life, they happened without much fanfare. I appreciated Shepard’s handling of the characters and their circumstances. They seemed very authentic, and even if I was unable to really connect with any of them, Shepard is a talented writer who made me care enough to keep reading. I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
Disclosure: I received a copy of The Visibles from the author for review purposes. I am an Amazon associate.
© 2010 Anna Horner of Diary of an Eccentric. All Rights Reserved. Please do not reproduce or republish content without permission.
Sounds like an interesting book, though a build up that fizzles would annoy me.
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In most cases it would really bother me, and even though I was looking for it, the ending really suited the story and the characters.
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I remember reading this one. I don’ remember all the details but think it was pretty good….LOL
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It was pretty good. I didn’t love it, but I did find it a good read.
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Wow, talk about a dysfunctional family! Thanks for a great review.
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Mental illness is a sad thing for families to deal with, and unfortunately, I’ve seen it in my own family.
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I think this one could be a book that I really liked for what it had to tell, or I just couldn’t get into it
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I think you should give it a try and see which way it goes for you. 😉
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I would love to read this one. I’ve read almost all of her Pretty Liars series and really enjoy her writing.
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I haven’t read any of those books yet, but I’ve heard a lot of good things about them.
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I don’t read about crazy people like this because I grew up with them lol.
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I’m sorry to hear that, and I know exactly what you’re talking about.
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I think I will really enjoy this story, adding to my Wishlist. It is disappointing when you are expecting something and don’t get it.
Great review as always.
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Thanks, Marce! It was only slightly disappointing in this case because the writing is so good.
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This book would probably hit home with people who have lived with mental illness. I’m not sure if it is something I will seek out, but will tuck it in my back pocket in case I know someone who could benefit from it.
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I bet it would. Thanks for stopping by, Sandy!
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It does sound like a book that cries out for more drama or something … I would expect the same I think.
Wonderful and balanced review. thanks!
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Thanks, Jenners. There was a lot of drama previously in the book, which is why I expected it to end with a bang. But I really did appreciate the more realistic ending.
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Family and mental health are big issues and this sounds a really good read. Thanks Anna for your review.
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My pleasure!
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This sounds like a really good read – thank you for the great review, Anna! I actually appreciate novels that sometimes don’t have that big build up and conclusion and just seem more like real life situations.
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I was able to appreciate it; it just wasn’t what I expected.
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You really piqued my interest — I’m adding this to my wish list.
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Great! Hope you give it a try.
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Mental illness is still so misunderstood. Interesting book.
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So true, unfortunately.
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Always interested in books that deal with mental illness. Thanks for your thoughts on this one, Anna.
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This does sound interesting. I just finished reading a book whose central character was mentally ill.
Great review.
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