"Most of her books have explored intense and enclosed worlds: from the labs of cancer researchers in Intuition, to rare book zealots in The Cookbook Collector, to the island prison of a 16th-century castaway in last year's Isola. This Is Not About Us, however, is different: It's a throwback, in form and subject to The Family Markowitz, which came out 30 years ago."
"I worried that returning to a familiar formula might mean that Goodman was running out of energy as a writer. Then, I started reading and stopped worrying. When I finished This Is Not About Us I kid you not I read it a second time, just to savor all the interconnections, all the shifts in family members' opinions of each other."
The reviewer reflects on a transformative reading experience from 20 years ago when recovering from retinal surgery, listening to Allegra Goodman's novels. Upon learning of Goodman's new novel This Is Not About Us, the reviewer initially worried the author was retreading familiar ground by returning to the linked-story structure of The Family Markowitz, her debut from 30 years prior. Both novels explore three generations of a Jewish family through interconnected narratives. However, upon reading, the reviewer's concerns dissolved. The novel's exploration of family dynamics, shifting perspectives, and relationships proved so compelling that the reviewer read it twice to fully appreciate its intricate interconnections and nuanced character development.
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