Family (1994)

Ian Frazier really does some amazing things with his memoir of his own family history. Studded as always with a stimulating array of facts that his exhaustive, painstaking research uncovers, it ties his family to the larger American project, even as it sets that larger American project into a surprisingly useful world historical context. In terms of history, religion, politics, and wider cultural issues, he offers it up all neatly tied with a nice bow. I did have some trouble and often found myself glazing over a little bit trying to follow along with the nuances—even the main threads—of some of the older family history. It reminded me some of family reunions where people are at pains attempting to elucidate all the connections and relations. Get me much beyond "cousins" and I'm lost; I don't even know exactly what "removed" means. I also found myself struggling with various corporate histories and explications, as when he describes the work his father did for Sohio. But what I loved, and there's a good deal more of this than the other, is when Frazier just lets the stories of family members' lives unfold and play out, particularly those from his own family of origin. They are wistful and sad and can become quite powerful at significant points, as when he includes love letters between his parents when they were courting, or when he reports on his family's response to the death of a sibling. Much of my interest may stem from the fact that he's only a few years older than me, hence his formative years in the '50s and '60s correspond fairly closely to mine. It's certainly interesting to get the perspective on how similar things were back then, whether it was his suburban community in Ohio or mine in Minnesota—and then on how different they have become now. As much as anything, the sense of the larger arcs of a lifetime are sad and interesting to encounter and compare to my own and those of others I know. I think I may have enjoyed the best parts of this book more my second time through, with 10 or 15 more years of living behind me. But there's also a good deal of sadness in it too, which is kind of the price you have to pay.

In case it's not at the library.