All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg is the story of the Tuchman family, told over one hot New Orleans day, while the patriarch, Victor, lies unconscious in a hospital bed.
I finished this book weeks ago and have not been able to write a review. It isn’t that I didn’t like this book but it’s also not that I did like this book. Attenberg is a talented writer and All This Could Be Yours is a competently written book. It’s more… well, years ago, I watched a show about The Simpsons and while discussing what a terrible person Homer is in many ways, one of the writers or creators or whoever said something along the lines of “Marge is a good person and because Marge loves Homer, we can also love Homer.” Everyone in All This Could Be Yours is terrible and there is no Marge to make it ok to love any of them. I mean, I guess they’re not terrible, just selfish and petty and completely lacking in any sort of empathy.
Everyone in the story gets their moment, to show how events unfold from their perspective. Usually, getting into the POV of another character builds empathy and understanding. With each change of perspective, I liked each character less and less. I wish I had read this book while on a beach somewhere, where my brain would not be engaged and sunshine could bleach away the gross feelings.
Overall, is not a bad book, it was just not quite my cup of tea.
