“Immediate Family” by Ashley Nelson Levy

Ashley Nelson Levy’s visceral debut, “Immediate Family” starts out benignly enough — her brother asks if she will make a speech at his imminent wedding. How nice! I guess I can. What will I say?

The complexity and disquiet of the request rolls out slowly. It’s been a while since the siblings last had time to catch up on what’s really going on in their lives. And there’s kind of a lot of catching up to do. And it’s not just recently that there have been a few issues; it’s kind of been that way for a long time, sort of like since the beginning. And it’s not just a few issues.

I look forward to finding out all about Ashley Nelson Levy, the author. I can only say that I am sure that she knows what she is talking about in “Immediate Family”. The insights, dialogue, and images are so spot-on and poignant. Beautifully written and paced.

I was highly moved by the entire narrative, more than expected. It was the opposite of a page-turner, but I mean that in a special way. I was afraid of what I would find out when new elements were introduced. It became a bit of a psychological thriller, but maybe that’s more me than on what Nelson Levy intended.

In summary, a bold, rich, compelling debut. We will hear lots more from Ms. Nelson Levy.

Thank you to Farrar, Straus, and Giroux and NetGalley for the eARC.