Marianne’s Pick of the Week: Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith

Families are the compass that guide us.” Brad Henry

Fun for the Whole Family by Jennifer E. Smith is a family drama filled with laughs, heart, and road trips.

The Endicotts, by anyone’s measure, are extraordinary (emphasis on the extra). Jude is an Oscar-nominated actor; Roddy is an elite athlete, and Connor is a prize-winning author. Only Gemma, a marketing specialist, is “ordinary.” How did so many stars come from one family?

Well, the four siblings grew up with a mother who abandoned them to pursue an acting career (which never took off) and a father who was emotionally absent. Their mother would return every summer to take them on a road trip. Clearly these kids were trying to get some adult to pay attention.

Until one trip, when Jude and Roddy (who are twins) were fourteen and their mother set fire to the car with Jude locked inside. Their father did not allow any of the children to speak to their mother again.

As youngsters the Endicotts were tight but now they have now drifted apart not having talked in three years. Mostly, because Connor wrote a best-selling novel based on their childhoods. Out of nowhere, Jude sends a text in the little used group chat asking all the siblings to gather in a tiny North Dakota town (in February, no less). She does not disclose to the group that she has two big secrets to share.  We get a weekend of laughs, arguments and tears a la The Big Chill. Through alternating chapters we explore each sibling’s memories of the past. Isn’t it interesting how people can remember the same events so differently?

Smith explores how the actions of our parents have an effect on us, not only in childhood, but all the way into adulthood.  Each sibling reacts to their parents’  actions by becoming “the extra” version of their childhood selves. Readers get a story full of sentiment and feelings. We are reminded that while families are complex they are indeed our compass and guide us.  The ending is bittersweet, real, and complicated – just like life.

Pick up Fun for the Whole Family if you enjoyed Sandwich by Catherine Newman or Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid.