Plot Synopsis: Fortysomething Pandora has a pretty good life in Iowa. She's married to Fletcher, a talented carpenter (though his business isn't profitable), and has two generally good step-children. She even has a thriving business that has landed her on the cover of some prominent magazines. However, her life begins to change when her older brother, Edison, comes for a two month visit. As siblings with a B-list famous father, they grew close during their childhood. But as Edison arrives at Pandora's home clocking in at 400 pounds, no one can truly tackle head-on the elephant in the room. Edison's weight and grandiose attitude disrupt the family in more ways than one. Pandora is left to drastically change her life to change Edison's by moving into an apartment with her brother to make him lose the pounds. Will Edison manage to get down to a healthy 163 lbs? And will Pandora's family handle the crush of big brother in town?
Literary Analysis/Personal Reaction: I previously read Shriver's famous We Need To Talk About Kevin. I'm actually disappointed that I did not review it here on Literati, but I would have definitely rated that book a 10/10. It was excellent. So when I found out the premise of Big Brother, I knew it was a book I wanted to read. Shriver gives an interesting perspective on obesity and the American relationship to food through Pandora's narration. I thought it was very insightful how she notes that we love putting food in our mouths, that it's instinct, and yet we've "forgotten how to eat." We don't know how much is too much until it is too late. And she considers how psychological eating really is - how when someone has gained 10 lbs, what's another bag of chips and one more pound? Can anyone really tell the difference between weighing 120 and 121 lbs? Despite the stigma of being overweight, our society pushes individuals to eat more than they should. And yet, it's shameful that we can only criticize obese people behind their backs rather than confronting the issue head-on without worry that we will hurt their feelings and continue their further downward eating spiral.
But this isn't just a book about obesity and weight loss. The family dynamic is central to the success of this book. Really, what would you do if an obnoxious, yet close family member hit rock bottom and came by for a rather long visit? Would you turn them away? Would you look the other way as they ate everything you had in the refrigerator and cupboards? Would you make it your mission to help them lose the weight? Pandora decides on doing the latter, but not without sacrifices.
There are some downsides to this novel, however. Edison is not a likable character. I'm not sure if he is supposed to be, but I found him downright unbearable and couldn't understand why in the world Pandora would stick up for him. Oh, that's right, Pandora is also somewhat unlikable. Edison and Pandora's father, Travis, is a washed up TV actor. He had a semi-hit show back when they were kids and the siblings remember those halcyon days of being semi-famous. The amount of space that Shriver devotes to describing the family's "claim to fame" is rather annoying. Readers will not be interested in reading about a television show that never existed, nor particular episode plot lines. I understand that Shriver is using these details as a metaphor for Pandora and Edison's dynamic, but it's humdrum and would best be left out.
Back to Edison. In his teenage years, he left home to become a jazz pianist. This just seemed too kooky for me, but worse, Shriver uses jazz lingo all over Edison's dialogue and it's AWFUL, "ya dig?" Seriously, nobody talks that way, even contemporary jazz musicians do not talk that way. It's cliche and frustrating to read over and over. I recognize the importance of giving characters a unique voice, but this was downright ridiculous. Even worse, Edison rants about all the jazz musicians he's played with (okay for character building to show that he's a pompous ass...) but Pandora then discusses everything she fucking knows about jazz from Edison. UGH!!! I get it, he's into jazz, she's trying to understand her brother's jazz world, but my god - enough is enough!
The ending - no, I won't spoil it for you - is somewhat short and surprising. But satisfying. Very satisfying. That is all I will say about that :-)
Final Score: 8/10 - Generally, a very good book, easy to read, with a few annoying faults that don't really take away from the overall enjoyment of the story.
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