Oh, this book. MODEL HOME falls pretty squarely under the “family saga” novel – similar in scope to, say, THE MIDDLESTEINS or Jonathan Tropper’s THIS IS WHERE I LEAVE YOU. But for a myriad of reasons – its big-heartedness, its seamless multitude of voices, its fierce humor and grace – MODEL HOME has stuck with me even more that other novels of its ilk. There’s a lot to love about the book – the way that it manages to be both funny and infused, especially in the second half of the book, with a melancholy that allows Puchner to capture the minutiae of strained familial relationships to an eerie degree. His dialogue, his attention to detail, his grace, and the pure dance of his sentences are incredible. This is the bummer about doing reviews sometimes – how you’re just not going to be able to do a certain book justice. How about this, then: One of the most moving, tender, funny, sad novels I’ve read in years. And beyond that: I miss the characters in MODEL HOME now that I’m done with the book. If that’s not some kind of watermark for literature, I don’t know what is. Recommended. Warren Ziller spends his family's life savings on a real-estate venture that he thinks will make him rich. He creates a community of cheaply-built homes in the California desert, only to have a toxic waste dump put in a few miles away. Bad luck, tragedy and poor decisions seem to plague the entire family as things go from bad to worse for all of them.This was an interesting, original story--though pretty sad and depressing. The overuse of similies got a bit distracting for me but otherwise the writing was good and it was certainly not a predictable book.
What do You think about Famille Modèle (2011)?
4.5 really. depressing and true life. my kind of book.
—yaho89
I liked the writing, but the story is so bleak...
—Jaz
LOL funny, and yet disturbing and sad. Loved it.
—Oscar
