To explain- some of my favorite books of all time have been- in my mind- what I call “family sagas” or”epic dramas.” I don’t know if these are accurate phrases to describe them, but that’s how they feel to me. Here’s a couple of examples- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver, Freedom by Jonathan Franzen, and The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet. In a way, I consider Where’d you go, Bernadette by Maria Semple in the same category though it doesn’t span multiple generations, but is ultimately a well-written deep dive into a family’s life.
What I liked about these is they are deep character studies and extend that study to whole families/relationships. They also fall into the Seinfeld joke -they’re books about “nothing” but really they’re about everything- life, memories, social and psychological commentary.
Any recommendations are greatly appreciated!
by fivelgoesnuts