Book #1 : We Are The Brennans

 Skrrrt, crash! That is what I assume the car accident that Sunday Brennan, the main character of this book got into sounded like. The book "We Are The Brennans" begins with Sunday getting into a drunk driving accident while living in LA. When in the hospital, she awakes to see her older brother, Denny, who had been called as her emergency contact. Denny had flown all the way from New York City, the city that Sunday had fled 5 years prior. She left behind her family, her fiancee, and a secret that threatens to destroy her family. Denny convinces her to come home and we watch as Sunday and all those around her navigate this dynamic change, or rather try to come back to the original dynamic.

I don't want to summarize the entire story as it will have too many spoilers, but this book had many twists and turns up until the last page. Originally I bought this book since it had the same last name as me and I wasn't sure if I was going to read it, but once I started, I couldn't stop. I love books that dive into complicated family dynamics and this book went into great detail about each relationship in a family. 

Another interesting aspect of this book was that it was multiperspective. It actually had chapters from 6 different characters, although some only had one or two chapters. I didn't find this confusing at all. I found it more insightful since I was able to understand different perspectives which helped me understand and empathize more with each character. It also showed the complexity of each character by revealing their internal reactions to things and not only what a single narrator was observing. An omniscient narrator could have been used but I feel like the multiperspective allowed for a more personal connection with each of the characters. There are some characters I would have loved to have chapters from though that weren't written.

The book left on somewhat of a cliffhanger which is realistic as family issues are forever ongoing. Families fight and come together all the time. The drama doesn't even stop once you're dead. I truly hope I cause drama even in death. This book was also set during the phase in which the children started caring for their parents. It is a difficult thing to do, to have to make rules and take care of the person who raised you all while seeing them slowly decline. It is like meeting your hero in real; you realize that everyone is a human who has many flaws.

There is the relationship of past lovers as well. Sunday left her fiancee when she went to LA and while she would have normally just lost contact, her fiancee is extremely close to her family. He spent many dinners at her house and is currently a business partner with Denny. I would go back and forth about whether or not I shipped them since her fiancee had a new wife and a child. In my opinion, they seemed to be fated lovers, but I know that it is not also possible to be with the person you are meant to be with. When reading, you can decide if they should be together or not. Also, the fiancee's name was Kale, which I thought I would name my future child.

"We Are The Brennans" was written by fellow Irishwoman Tracey Lange and was published in 2021, so it is relatively new. I actually do not remember where I bought it, but I think it was an airport. It has an airport book vibe. The book is 319 pages which took me a couple weeks to read as I am a slow and sporadic reader. She has another book about a different Irish family coming out this summer which I am excited to read.