The Loved Ones by Mary-Beth Hughes is a poignant novel about a family trying to cope with the death of their child.

The emotional divide between the members of the Devlin family is soon compounded by an unwanted move from their beloved family home in the US to London. Nick is coerced into taking a position in a cosmetic company by his manipulative brother Lionel and after his relocation to the UK, Nick tries to bury his grief with illegal drugs and extramarital sex. Jean is less than thrilled with the move but she eventually capitulates and she, along with their daughter Lily, join Nick in London where she continues to distance herself from both Nick and Lily. Poor Lily was already struggling to fit in at her old school in the US and she does not find it easier to make friends or find her niche after the move.

Numerous characters are introduced early in the novel and it is virtually impossible to keep up with them or their relationships with the key players. With the exception of Lily, the main characters are difficult to like and despite feeling compassion for their loss, they are rather unsympathetic.

The Loved Ones is a somewhat difficult novel to follow. The narrative is rather disjointed and the shifts between past and present are not clearly marked. Despite the descriptive passages, there is a vagueness to the overall storyline that makes it impossible to connect with neither the plot nor the characters. A lack of quotation marks adds to the confusion and when the dialog lasts longer than a few sentences, it is hard to keep up with which character is speaking.

There is no doubt that Mary-Beth Hughes is a gifted storyteller. The Loved Ones is a well written novel with a decent storyline that is unfortunately buried in the midst of the rambling, confusing narrative. The story's conclusion is quite unexpected and although a little abrupt and somewhat ambiguous, it is satisfying. ( )

The Loved Ones by Mary-Beth Hughes

Available from Atlantic Monthly Press June 2, 2015

Now, I’m all for a book that asks a bit more of readers. I’m up for a challenge when entering a fictional world. I love to interact with different voices that trust me to be intelligent, and to care enough about the time I’m spending with a book to pay attention. Deep attention. To become engaged with individual characters as if they were my friends, or people I’d love to know or know about.

This book seems to be reaching for that but doesn’t strike a good balance. It overreaches and in the process, turns into a confusing mess. It flips around quickly between characters remembered and “on stage,” so to speak, and characters that aren’t important to the narrative moment are intrusive rather than rendered seamlessly into the narrative.

It was like having someone tap you on the shoulder repeatedly while reading to ask you unrelated and irritatingly pointless questions. But since the interruptions arise from the text itself, you can’t ignore the tapping.

I couldn’t get far into this book before putting it down. I was very disappointed because the concept is exactly the kind of idea I love to read about. Here, though, the voice is too jumbled to follow. A little guidance from the author would have been appreciated.

I received an ARC from the publisher so I could write this review.

DNF: No star rating available.

If you like intelligent narratives and arresting plots, check out [b:The Family Made of Dust: A Novel of Loss and Rebirth in the Australian Outback|31692655|The Family Made of Dust A Novel of Loss and Rebirth in the Australian Outback|Laine Cunningham|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1472357358s/31692655.jpg|6308645].

Disjointed, creepy book. I read it to the end, but didn't like it at all. An American family whose little boy has died moves to London in 1970 so the father can become an executive in a cosmetics company. The parents and their 14-year-old daughter all gradually fall apart. A straightforward narrative with this plot would have been so much more interesting. Depressing and so confusing; at times it almost made no sense. Not a book I could enjoy at all. ( )

Wow. I just finished reading this title, and I would give it 3.5 stars if possible just because of the luminous writing. It was the best part of the book. The plot and the characters were less inspiring. Early on, I found the story compelling and fascinating. As the book progressed, I began to feel more and more unbalanced by the declining spiral of each of the character's lives. There wasn't one that I was still liking by the end. The time period may have much to do with their self focused attitudes. The 60's were a time for extravagant indulgence and experimentation with sex and drugs. The author plays this out very well through her choices in story telling. The gradual implosion of the this family's lives became for me, both a distraction as well as a magnet. I had to continue reading and give the author credit for creating that draw. Yet, by the end, I was exhausted and confused. The book held possibility, but I didn't fully appreciate or enjoy the direction or ending of this story.
If you are a fan of books with depressing characters, this might be a perfect read for you. Don't expect a lesson or moral at the end, or any real growth in the characters' lives. It is pretty bleak. I really appreciate the author's use of language, and I did like the book. I just didn't love it.
My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review this title. ( )