This was a book I came so close to abandoning early on when the wretched Southern California excesses of one of the characters were dominating the story. But I pressed on and through a couple of long cringe sections to reach the surprising epiphanies of the last 20% of the book. This felt like a reward for persistence. I no longer felt overwhelmed with the muck once I was allowed to see what it was all intended to mean. Every character in the Fletcher family is a mess in a Jewish-American way I can only just imagine but we are led to appreciate what these privileged and damaged individuals have to tell us about the story of American assimilation.

I liked the author's earlier novel Fleishman Is in Trouble but this one seems more complete. If there were a way to tell the story without the stretches of grossness I don't know what that would be lie. In the end the loose ends are all tied up so neatly I was made aware of the author shaping the story. I think it was not a high priority of hers to make the plot flow in a super naturalistic way the way things happen in real life as much as she wanted to convey a message.

A prospective reader only has to do a little searching around to find the salacious backstory to the title. I encourage those who need content warnings to work this out, in a self-service fashion.

I listened to the audiobook, always solo, increasingly drawn in to the storytelling. It might not be for every listener, but I do think that it will have earned its place in letters over time.