Reviews for The Laments: A Novel

The average rating for The Laments: A Novel based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2007-06-30 00:00:00 Christopher Schuhmacher For a long time I didn't think I liked this book. It seemed too light, no real substance. I kept waiting for some major, tragic event to occur. (That shows what kind of books I've been reading lately!) Eventually the characters and the story grew on me, especially the main character, Will, who is a quiet, serious boy who was switched at birth and doesn't know it. Throughout the book the Lament family travels, always in search of a fresh start, a better job, and a better life. Each new home brings its own challenges, and the mother is convinced that something is lost every time they move. Eventually I realized that this book wasn't the light, nothing story I had first thought it was (It does have its share of tragedy). By the end I was really enjoying it, and I was sad when it ended. It was a pretty easy read. I'd recommend it as a break between heavier books.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-08-15 00:00:00 Maricar Mabanta Will belongs to a family that moves. A lot. It is what the Laments do. They have moved from South Africa to Bahrain to Southern Rhodesia to England and then to New Jersey. His father is talking about moving on to Australia or maybe New Zealand, always looking for that perfect place where he will be able to realize his dreams. But for Will, it means he never feels like he belongs anywhere. And sometimes he wonders if he really belongs in this family, with his wild twin brothers, his permanently distracted father, and his harried mother. He doesn't know what the reader learns very early in the book: he is a Lament in name, but not by birth. What the reader also sees is that Will is the heart and soul of his family. This is a beautiful, sometimes funny, often heartbreaking coming of age story. I read it first when it was newly published, and I relished the re-read.