Family Sold Separately

by Kate Long

Book Overview

From internationally bestselling author Kate Long, a perceptive, vivid, and painfully funny novel about family ties and growing up On the eve of her eighteenth birthday, Katherine wants only three... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 034547967X
• ISBN13: 9780345479679
• Release Date: August 2008
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 326 Pages
• Weight: 0.56 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

British coming of age story

Family Sold Separately is the story of Katherine Millar-she prefers to be called Kat, an overweight, somewhat shy, disconnected and confused adolescent girl who lives in an unhappy household. The child of a father who died in her infancy and a mother who deserted her soon after, Kat has been raised by her paternal grandmother, a bitter, sarcastic and hateful woman who idolizes her dead son, hates Kat's runaway mother, and uses her near blindness to control and manipulate every aspect of Kat's life. There's a saying that goes something like "it's not what happens to you in life but what you do with what happens to you that's important." In some ways, that sums up this novel by Kate Long. However, I'd add another phrase to that adage. "It's not what happens to you in life but what you do with what happens to you and how you feel about it that's important." Kat is a veritable potpourri of negative feelings: resentment, anger, betrayal, abandonment, grief, guilt, and worthlessness. She's a girl in danger of becoming the same cruel and heartless woman as her mean-spirited grandmother. In spite of all this negativity, or maybe because of it, Kat is also incredibly bright and insightful, her insight allowing her to see effective coping mechanisms for dealing with her grandmother and her intellect helping her to envision a different life for herself. Long's intimate portrayal of adolescent angst rings so true it's hard for me to believe the story is not somewhat autobiographical in nature. Yes, there's the requisite mystery man, and a few twists and turns along the way, but the story pales in comparison to the portrait. There's only one other book that comes to mind that captures so completely the anguish of youth, J. D. Salinger's one and only work, Catcher in the Rye. The only reason I haven't given Family Sold Separately five stars is because the frequent use of British colloquialisms and dialect interfered with my enjoyment of the book. That being said, Holden Caulfield and Kat are soul mates indeed. And I don't say this lightly: It's a bloody good book. Armchair Interviews says: Wonderful fiction for young adults--with alert about British word usage.

fascinating look at a teen

She has heard her entire life about the family curse that haunts the Millers. Katherine knows when she turns eighteen tomorrow she will meet the doom that destroys every generation when they turn adult. Not that Kat has had much of life anyway In Bank Top, England. Her dreams will never be answered even the simplest ones like social acceptance by her peers, a lithe body, leaving the hamlet forever and two parents; her dad died when the curse struck in an accident and her mom fled the village leaving her with Poll, her legally blind grandma known for verbally ripping skin, and Poll's companion garbage dump scavenger Dickie the Dogman. Kat knows Poll needs her so she has no hope except to become as acerbic as her grandma is while watching afternoon television shows that require no brain power. Everything changes when Collum arrives at Bank Top, claiming he is Kat's cousin. This is a fascinating look at a teen on the brink of independence adulthood struggling between her desires and her family responsibilities even as she anticipates the expected disaster to strike any moment. Kate better understands now why her mom left but feels guilt over considering doing the same because she believes her caustic grandma needs her. The local dialogue is a two edge sword as its usage brings a sense of location, but can be distracting. Still FAMILY SOLD SEPARATELY is a strong character study starring a dreamer who fears her flights of fancy will prove either futile or nightmarish. Harriet Klausner