*Review* All the Lasting Things by David Hopson

Genre: Literary Fiction

Published: March 1, 2016

Pages: 318

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Synopsis

The Fisher family of Alluvia, New York, is coming undone. Evelyn spends her days tending to her husband, Henry—an acclaimed and reclusive novelist slowly losing his battle with Alzheimer’s. Their son, Benji, onetime star of an ’80s sitcom called Prodigy, sinks deeper into drunken obscurity, railing against the bit roles he’s forced to take in uncelebrated regional theater. His sister, Claudia, tries her best to shore up her family even as she deals with the consequences of a remarkable, decades-old secret that’s come to light. When the Fishers mistake one of Benji’s drug-induced accidents for a suicidal cry for help, Benji commits to playing a role he hopes will reverse his fortune and stall his family’s decline. Into this mix comes Max Davis, a twentysomething cello virtuoso and real-life prodigy, whose appearance spurs the entire family to examine whether the secrets they thought were holding them all together may actually be what’s tearing them apart.

David Hopson’s All the Lasting Things is a beautiful, moving family portrait that explores the legacy we all stand to leave—in our lives, in our work—and asks what those legacies mean in a world where all the lasting things do not last.

Review

I listened to the audiobook version of this book because that was the only way I could possibly get it read in time for my book club's meeting (even though I choose it as my Kindle First book in February). If you've read any of my other audiobook reviews, then you know that I'm picky about voices, especially the voices for the gender opposite of the narrator. I have zero complaints about the voices in All the Lasting Things. They were all distinct and even helped to provide a mental image of each character for me. I can honestly highly recommend this audiobook, at least for the narration.

The story got off to a dramatic start and then went in the opposite direction from what I was expecting. The book had a sense of mystery to it through Henry's memories and there were a few big bombshells dropped throughout the course of the story. They all felt a bit cliche or predictable to me though. In spite of that, I was still anxious to see how things would play out.

Overall I give All the Lasting Things 3.5 out of 5 stars. - Katie 

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About the Author

David Hopson earned an MA in American and English literature from Washington University in St. Louis and an MFA in fiction from Columbia University. He lives in Brooklyn. All the Lasting Things is his first novel.