French Braid is a story that spans 4 generations of the Garret family. A family saga that intricately takes you through the life of the Garrets, vividly showcasing their extremely varied personalities, the expectations, the disappointments, the responsibilities, the fears, the love and eventually the full circle of life.
To start with, just as a family drama is expected to be, French Braid is dotted with some neatly crafted characters. While you have Mercy coming across as much of a self centered and selfish person, Robin on the other hand is someone who may be socially inept but a loving husband. Alice is a bossy yet protective older sister, Lily – the rebellious one and David the youngest who probably is the most sensitive of all.
The relations between them are quite well pictured as well. A father who treats his son high handed, a son whose expectations of his father are left unfulfilled, a mother who hardly is involved in the family concerns. And it is Alice who partly takes on that role – be it helping with the cooking or caring for David when no one else does.
My favorite character in the book undoubtedly was Robin, if we for once overlook his handling of David. It was simply heart wrenching to see his love for his wife, as they grow old. And also, how he is left all to himself in the end. Robin’s Surprise Party for Mercy On their 50th anniversary was the highlight of the book for me. It is such a moving sequence that churns emotions within you. The way Robin organizes everything all by himself, at the same time keeping it a secret from his wife – it is adorable. How he prepares their symbolic Salmon loaf, reminiscent of their early days – 50 years back. How he tries to get everyone together and surprise Mercy. How he tries not to upset her. How he puts in every effort to please her. Robin’s love for Mercy just pierces your heart. It is sad to see all of them leave one by one. How hard Robin tries to get Mercy to stay but in vain. And poor Robin is left staring out. This bit really won me over.
Besides this, I think I wish to mention 2 instances which really gave me a jolt. But I would put them under spoliers.
French Braid is a book that you enjoy while you are reading it. You enjoy the story, the situations, the sequences and the characters, as it happens. But once you have read it, you are left asking – ok, so what is the sum-up of this all? What actually is the point the author is trying to make? If there is a message that is being conveyed, I am afraid it is not clear enough. While the author clarifies it to an extent with the explanation of the metaphorical use of French Braid , I still didn’t see how that translates into the various characters and their stories.
I feel there are many aspects the author leaves unexplained or up to your interpretation. For instance, I get it why David drifts apart from Robin. Lily anyways never was close. But I cannot understand why David fell apart from Alice – she was one person who was always there for him in his childhood.
I feel the book leaves a sense of blankness or incompleteness to an extent. A few of the characters were left just dangling, all forgotten. Kendall’s character was coming out so well but all of a sudden, she was just out after that New York trip. In the initial part, I was quite enjoying the banter between Serena and James. But sadly, we never hear about James again and whatever happened to their love story? I also feel, Robin was given a most unceremonious exit having been one of the mainstays of this story.
Conclusion:
I firmly believe, if you are sending a message, it should be loud and clear. Unfortunately, French Braid suffers on this account. For, not all would be able to discern the author’s connotations of the family ties the book touches upon. Having said that, I loved certain sections of the story that were exceptional in their impact. French Braid is a book that you can easily pick for a quick and absorbing read. For the situations and characters keep you interested. The overall impact would probably be subjective.
Available here on Amazon.
Enjoy some more family dramas of the year here: We Are The Brennans: Solid Debut by Tracey Lange , Black Cake , Dinner With The Schnabels
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