Commonwealth by Ann Patchett

There were a lot of people that were “unlikable” in this book.  From the cheating parents to the drunk author, there was a litany of characters in this book that weren’t good people but somehow they became endearing.  From the beginning, Bert Cousins was identified as a bad father and a bad husband.  Beverly Keating was a bored housewife on the verge of an affair.  Fix was a grumpy cop distrustful of all people and suspicious of everyone’s actions.  Teresa was the oblivious mother of four kids who was not domestically inclined.  Although these characters have bits of them that are unlikable to each other and the reader, they become endearing to us as the story moves on and as the family members grow older.

We remember things differently.  We have different views and perspectives on the same events.  Due to age, maturity and life experience, the characters weigh in on the same events with differing ideas and the “why” of something happening.  Two main events seen from different views are Franny’s baptism and Cal’s death.  Fix, Bert, Beverly and Teresa had their own version of Franny’s baptism and what it meant as a pivotal moment in all of their lives.  This moment impacted each of them and, by default, affected their children as well.  Cal’s death affected the parents but this event was mostly felt by the children.  They were each there but each of them had their own version of what happened and how it happened.

The dynamic between the parents and children is unconventional and is probably why the reader will find some commonality with this dysfunctional family.  The parents are unaffected by the kids and their feelings.  The parents never consider how the children will feel if they divorce, relocate, don’t move, remarry, or ignore them.  The kids seems to be perfectly happy to be ignored.  The children in this book are left to their own devices, which results in a deadly incident.  Many other incidents could have ended just as badly.  It’s a stark comparison to today’s parenting that hovers over their children and doesn’t make a decision without contemplating the children’s opinions.

I enjoyed this story because it was so real.  It didn’t hide the mistakes that they each had made in the past.  It accepted them with realism.  It reminded me of “stories” from my family.  It reminded me of the crazy, unbelievable things we do to each other as families and the things we choose to accept and to forgive.  Despite all of the things that went wrong in their lives, they loved one another and these pivotal moments brought them together in good ways.  Baby Franny was the common thread that brought them all together.  She is the constant element to the story and the one that keeps the story moving forward.  In the end, it is Franny who is still holding them all together.

Was it love at first sight when Bert first met Beverly?  Or was she just something he couldn’t have?

Did this story revolve around Franny?  Why?  Why not?  Is she the main character?

What does the writing/publishing of the “book” and movie mean to the family?

Why is Albie the only one that is offended by the book by Leo Posen?

What does this book say about families and time?

What does this story say about forgiveness and time?

Did you think (initially) Cal died from the gun shot or from the bee sting?

Why do Franny and Bert have such a strong connection?  Is it because he named her?

Why don’t any of the girls keep in touch with each other?

Were you surprised that Franny ended up with Kumar?