The Latecomer

Meet the Oppenheimer triplets, the stars of this book, whose loathing for one another borders on the Shakespearean. As a reader, I was instantly drawn in by Korelitz’s shrewd writing—and held there by her wondrous talents as a plot-maker. Indeed, this novel twists and turns in thrilling ways that kept my eyes glued to the page. 

I was enthralled with Jean Hanff Horelitz ever since Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant's HBO mini-series introduced me to her previous book, so this book was on my TBD for a long time before I finally got around to reading it during a Mediterranean cruise this past July. On a cruise ship, there is always enormous competition for a person’s time/attention, but The Latecomer was good enough to keep me in my interior cabin for long stretches on sea days.

I could’ve been eating at one of the ship’s many restaurants, shopping during the interminable sales, or tanning poolside. Instead,… show more.

This novel is about a family—the Oppenheimers—a mother, a father, triplets (2 boys and a girl), and then the “latecomer,” a sister born 17 years after the triplets.

This book is about relationships (and the lack of them) and family dynamics. It’s a page-turner and full of intrigue. The character development is fantastic as the reader becomes invested in the lives of all the characters. I loved this book!

It’s hard for me to imagine a family where the siblings are more uninterested in one another than the Oppenheimer triplets in this novel. But I do love a twin story (am, in fact, fascinated by the twin thing) so triplets really intrigued me. These siblings, however, are determined to disengage from one another and stalk off into their solo adulthood. And they manage to do so with just enough hubris to make a mess of it. But can we ever really cut the ties that bind? Thankfully—probably not.