TWISTED FAMILY VALUES

A family of New Jersey WASPs tries—and fails—to hide their dysfunction.

No one thinks more highly of the Thornden family than the Thorndens themselves—in the 1970s, they’re known for throwing large, lavish parties and showing off their perfect family. The truth, of course, is that their family isn’t as perfect as they pretend it is. Under the surface, there’s a lot of drinking and a lot of infidelity, but the most scandalous secret is that teenage cousins Biz and Charlie, best friends since birth, are perhaps growing a little too close. Charlie is actually adopted, meaning that he and Biz aren’t related—but only Charlie’s mother, Cat, knows that, and she plans to keep the secret so Charlie won’t lose his inheritance from his bloodline-obsessed grandfather. Chickering (Nookietown, 2016) follows Biz and Charlie as they go to college in the 1980s, make other friends, and get into relationships, all the while attempting to deny the strong connection they feel to one another. But when Biz sleeps with Charlie’s roommate, Charlie retaliates by attempting to sexually assault her (a fact that is acknowledged by both Biz and Charlie), forever changing their relationship. As Biz and Charlie continue to age and move on, neither of them can forget about the other—but will they ever learn the truth about their biggest family secret? There’s a certain glee inherent in reading about rich people behaving badly, and the Thorndens certainly behave badly. Chickering’s irreverent tone works quite well when detailing the eccentricities of a large family, but it doesn’t always work when dealing with more serious issues, most notably the sexual assault. Biz’s trauma is thoughtfully and realistically explored, but it’s hard to view Charlie as a compelling romantic hero.

The title is an accurate warning—this is a truly twisted family.