Title: The Family

Author: Naomi Krupitsky

Genre: Historical Fiction

Publisher: Borough Press

Publication Date: 6th January 2022

Rating: 4.5/5

Cover:

Summary:

Two daughters. Two families. One inescapable fate.

Sofia Colicchio is a free spirit, loud and untamed. Antonia Russo is thoughtful, ever observing the world around her. Best friends since birth, they live in the shadow of their fathers’ unspoken community: the Family. Sunday dinners gather them each week to feast, discuss business, and renew the intoxicating bond borne of blood and love.

But the disappearance of Antonia’s father drives a whisper-thin wedge between the girls as they grow into women, wives, mothers, and leaders. And as they push against the boundaries of society’s expectations and fight to preserve their complex but life-sustaining friendship, one fateful night their loyalty to each other and the Family will be tested.

Only one of them can pull the trigger before it’s too late.

Review:

As soon as I saw this book described as for fans of Elena Ferrante’s Neapolitan Novels – I knew I wanted to read it! And happily – I do believe the comparison is warranted! The Story follows two best friends who have known each other since they were born. Sofia and Antonia’s fathers both work for ‘The Family’, and their involvement in this community leads to Antonia’s father disappearing when he begins to have doubts about the life and violence he is entrenched in. This cataclysmic event drives Sofia and Antonia further apart yet their bond is seemingly unbreakable and as they grow up, get married and have children – their relationship is pushed to its limits.

The Family really is a beautifully written book. The setting of New York, beginning in the late 1920’s and progressing through the years is atmospheric and feels viscerally real. The biggest strength and lynchpin of the story is the friendship between Sofia and Antonia which is gorgeously rendered. They feel so much love, resentment, empathy, jealousy and instinctive devotion to one another that it is impossible not to get invested in them. The writing flows seamlessly and I was totally engrossed in the story of these two, very different, but equally powerful and fascinating women living in a man’s world. Highly recommended to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and female friendship!

★★★★.5

Thank you so much to Anne Cater of Random Things Blog Tours for inviting me on this tour and organising it. I kindly received a copy of the book from the publisher. My review is entirely my own honest opinion.