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A real family affair

September 16th, 2008 Kylee

I’ve read a lot of books about dysfunctional families, but until now, I’ve never come across one that includes a son who considers oiling his bodybuilder father’s muscles pre-competition a rite of passage - and that’s not even the most disturbing scene in the book. In Jonathan Evison’s debut novel All About Lulu, William Miller (the body-oiler) is so obsessed with a girl named Lulu that he records her every movement in a series of yellow notebooks he hides in his bedroom. These notebooks are pretty extensive, because Will has a lot to observe: Lulu’s bedroom is across the hall from his, since his dad just married her mom.

Despite the creepy, debatably incestuous passions of the narrator, I found that I really enjoyed this book. Will is quick to admit that he’s not a guy who has it all together, and his self-deprecation and brutal honesty about his feelings make him likeable, flaws and all. His obsession with his stepsister is disturbing, but throughout the novel he begins to understand and come to terms with the problems his feelings create, making them more relatable than repulsive. Will narrates his story from an older, wiser standpoint, after he has dealt with his feelings for Lulu, which somehow makes the story both more and less serious. The book balances on the fine line between dark humor and melodrama amazingly well. I found myself laughing and, though I never found myself near actual tears, I truly ached for Will. I’m pretty impressed with Mr. Evison - it takes quite a writer to make a crush on a stepsister into a bittersweet tale of unrequited love.

Entry Filed under: Literary Fiction