Scan barcode
chrissiewithanie's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
tildahlia's review against another edition
3.0
Probably a mixed bag on this one. I do love Homes and it is a bit of a case of 'she can do no wrong' with me - her humour, weirdness and dark edge are just so unique. But this book missed the mark a bit on a few fronts. First, I thought the B plot (relating to the Big Guy's family dynamics) was far more interesting than the A plot and in my view, was the real story. The A plot relating to the scheming men was just, I don't know...underdeveloped? The characters were indistinguishable to me even by the end of the book which was possibly deliberate to demonstrate their flatness but ultimately left me confused and disoriented during their conversations. The similarity in how they talked and quipped, while very clever and funny in parts, often felt jarringly unrealistic rather than playfully absurdist and made it all a bit two-dimensional. Also the vagueness in what they were actually planning was clearly a device but again, when played out over pages and pages, felt boring and disengaged me. I liked the ideas, the concept has great potential, but...not quite.
candacesiegle_greedyreader's review against another edition
2.0
When I first dipped into “The Unfolding” it took about three pages for me to say, “Yuck. No” But then I tried again and was initially engaged by the story but finally was not able to go any further. It sickened me. It infuriated me. If that was A. M. Homes’ goal, this is a five star novel.
The Big Guy is a wealthy conservative who, in his outrage over the election of a Black man to the Presidency, gathers like minded men together to make sure this doesn’t happen again. His college-age daughter is studying history, and imagine what happens when she finds that the history she is studying not not jive with the history her family espouses. This is ultimately a book about family but the other elements that push their way into the story were hard for me to take.
I’m not sure who this novel is intended for. I’m not even sure that readers who would cheer for the Big Guy would embrace it. I’m giving it two stars—it’s well written, and I tried twice to give it a go. I’m interested to see the kind of discussion this novel whoops up.
The Big Guy is a wealthy conservative who, in his outrage over the election of a Black man to the Presidency, gathers like minded men together to make sure this doesn’t happen again. His college-age daughter is studying history, and imagine what happens when she finds that the history she is studying not not jive with the history her family espouses. This is ultimately a book about family but the other elements that push their way into the story were hard for me to take.
I’m not sure who this novel is intended for. I’m not even sure that readers who would cheer for the Big Guy would embrace it. I’m giving it two stars—it’s well written, and I tried twice to give it a go. I’m interested to see the kind of discussion this novel whoops up.
hayleybeale's review against another edition
3.0
A speculative history novel with an interesting premise that’s just a bit too talky for my taste.
The Unfolding deals with liminal spaces: between an election (Barack Obama in 2008) and the inauguration; between being a child and an adult; between not knowing and knowing a marriage is falling apart.
On Election Day in November 2008, Republican billionaire funder known as the Big Guy, his wife Charlotte, and their 18 year old daughter Meghan vote and then go to Phoenix to see the results with John McCain. When disaster strikes and Obama is elected, the Big Guy is stunned about the collapse of America and then stung into action to bring back the country that his brand of Republicans believes is the right way. Pulling together a ragtag team of rich white men - a judge, an accountant, a White House insider, a scientist, a communications expert, and so forth - they put together a plan for a revolution.
Meanwhile, Meghan finds that her simple trust in her world is misplaced. There are secrets that have not been shared with her because she was being “protected” like a child. As they are gradually revealed, she finds herself questioning and challenging her own identity.
Now as we all now know, the Republican Party swung heavily to the right and to the immoral and this change is presaged by the conversations and plans of the Big Guy and his cohort. Except is it? Of course, the writer has hindsight and knows what actually happens so is speculatively filling in the gap. It’s an intriguing idea but, for me, just drags on a little too much and to call it prescient ignores the obvious fact that it’s now 2022 and we know what happened. I did love the quirky characters like Twitch Metzger the ad man who forecasts the role of Twitter and makes candy in his spare time, but much of the policy talk is just a bit too inside baseball.
This rip in the worldview of the Big Guy is echoed in his family. Charlotte has felt stifled and corralled - the Big Guy’s views of women and their capabilities are not just old fashioned but also too parodically broad to be believable. When Charlotte reaches a breaking point, he finally realizes that what he thinks he knows may not be how things really are.
When I saw this was an “alternate history” I was frankly expecting something a little more alternate. As it is, it’s a speculation that doesn’t seem very far fetched at all and, while amusing, is not the out there satirical novel I was expecting.
Thanks to Viking and Netgalley for the digital review copy.
The Unfolding deals with liminal spaces: between an election (Barack Obama in 2008) and the inauguration; between being a child and an adult; between not knowing and knowing a marriage is falling apart.
On Election Day in November 2008, Republican billionaire funder known as the Big Guy, his wife Charlotte, and their 18 year old daughter Meghan vote and then go to Phoenix to see the results with John McCain. When disaster strikes and Obama is elected, the Big Guy is stunned about the collapse of America and then stung into action to bring back the country that his brand of Republicans believes is the right way. Pulling together a ragtag team of rich white men - a judge, an accountant, a White House insider, a scientist, a communications expert, and so forth - they put together a plan for a revolution.
Meanwhile, Meghan finds that her simple trust in her world is misplaced. There are secrets that have not been shared with her because she was being “protected” like a child. As they are gradually revealed, she finds herself questioning and challenging her own identity.
Now as we all now know, the Republican Party swung heavily to the right and to the immoral and this change is presaged by the conversations and plans of the Big Guy and his cohort. Except is it? Of course, the writer has hindsight and knows what actually happens so is speculatively filling in the gap. It’s an intriguing idea but, for me, just drags on a little too much and to call it prescient ignores the obvious fact that it’s now 2022 and we know what happened. I did love the quirky characters like Twitch Metzger the ad man who forecasts the role of Twitter and makes candy in his spare time, but much of the policy talk is just a bit too inside baseball.
This rip in the worldview of the Big Guy is echoed in his family. Charlotte has felt stifled and corralled - the Big Guy’s views of women and their capabilities are not just old fashioned but also too parodically broad to be believable. When Charlotte reaches a breaking point, he finally realizes that what he thinks he knows may not be how things really are.
When I saw this was an “alternate history” I was frankly expecting something a little more alternate. As it is, it’s a speculation that doesn’t seem very far fetched at all and, while amusing, is not the out there satirical novel I was expecting.
Thanks to Viking and Netgalley for the digital review copy.
dale_in_va's review against another edition
1.0
i didn’t really get this novel. I am not sure if it is meant to celebrate or satirize conservatives. All it really did was solidify my progressive values, and disgust me to the point that I was truly hoping a band of zombies would all of a sudden be unleashed on these self indulgent despicable people.
piedwarbler's review against another edition
4.0
The Unfolding is a frightening read. It concerns one family in the United States as the man of the family, called The Big Guy, reacts to the Democratic election win of 2008, when Obama beat McCain. McCain responds graciously and congratulates Obama on his victory, but for the Big Guy and his like-minded associates, the win is an appalling event, and they make a plan to reclaim America. The Big Guy’s daughter Meghan is voting for the first time, and examining her values and attitudes. The Big Guy is sure of his plan to disrupt society and perhaps even “accidentally burn the house down.”
I found this book scarily believable and quite unsettling to read. There are some awful viewpoints and attitudes both implied and directly stated. Homes really does deconstruct the events from 2008 onwards.
Besides this The Big Guy’s wife is drinking way too much, and the reasons for her drinking slowly and shockingly become clear. I found the family conversations devastatingly powerfully written.
All in all, a powerful examination of modern America. As someone says in the novel, the dignified response of McCain to the result of the election when he loses to Obama seems to belong to another century.
I found this book scarily believable and quite unsettling to read. There are some awful viewpoints and attitudes both implied and directly stated. Homes really does deconstruct the events from 2008 onwards.
Besides this The Big Guy’s wife is drinking way too much, and the reasons for her drinking slowly and shockingly become clear. I found the family conversations devastatingly powerfully written.
All in all, a powerful examination of modern America. As someone says in the novel, the dignified response of McCain to the result of the election when he loses to Obama seems to belong to another century.
jmclincoln's review against another edition
1.0
DNF. Boredom supreme. I really tried. I had been lured here by a positive review. Oh well…
jennie_cole's review against another edition
2.0
On the night of the 2008 election, The Big Guy needs to feel like he can take back control after John McCain lost his bid to be President. He is rich enough to create a way to just what he wants.
The Unfolding is the story of The Big Guy and his reaction to the 2008 election. He gets some other like minded men together to come up with a plan on how they can get their country back and save it. At the same time his wife is falling apart and his daughter learns that what she knows might not be true.
I like the concept but the execution failed. It is a two POV story with one being The Big Guy and the other his daughter. The Big Guy's chapters were mainly about how to "save" America and his daughter's were about the family. The Big Guy's were long and boring while the daughter's were more interesting but about half the length so it left you wanting more. I cared more about the family story and less about old, rich, white guys thinking the country is coming to an end because Obama won. The story told in those chapters was lots of long winded talks with little action and very vague in plans.
The Unfolding is the story of The Big Guy and his reaction to the 2008 election. He gets some other like minded men together to come up with a plan on how they can get their country back and save it. At the same time his wife is falling apart and his daughter learns that what she knows might not be true.
I like the concept but the execution failed. It is a two POV story with one being The Big Guy and the other his daughter. The Big Guy's chapters were mainly about how to "save" America and his daughter's were about the family. The Big Guy's were long and boring while the daughter's were more interesting but about half the length so it left you wanting more. I cared more about the family story and less about old, rich, white guys thinking the country is coming to an end because Obama won. The story told in those chapters was lots of long winded talks with little action and very vague in plans.
hila_ad's review against another edition
dark
funny
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
bobthebookerer's review against another edition
4.0
This satire focuses on a group of characters who we meet just as Obama is elected for the first time. They are Republicans, reckoning with both the loss of their candidate, but also the loss of what they see as 'their America', which a black President seems to confound.
But as the book goes on, we increasingly see how the characters, especially our main one, come to see that they have maybe missed something about the changing tide of the country.
The book focuses on this period in 2008, but nods towards 2016 and 2020, perhaps suggesting we should have seen some of this coming all along.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
But as the book goes on, we increasingly see how the characters, especially our main one, come to see that they have maybe missed something about the changing tide of the country.
The book focuses on this period in 2008, but nods towards 2016 and 2020, perhaps suggesting we should have seen some of this coming all along.
I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.