Genre: Social Sci-Fi, Near Future, Satire
LGBTQ+ Category: Bi, Gay, Lesbian
Reviewer: Lucy
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About The Book
Everything goes right for the White family: they’re upper middle class, live in the trendy Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and have prestigious jobs. But Dad has a secret. Mom has a bigger one. And daughter #1 refuses to be a legacy to Yale. Five-year-old Daughter #2 gets life advice from popstars but will twerking, texting and inclusivity be enough to save them from not getting everything they want?
The Review
This novel was a veritable onion, with lots and lots of layers. The Wealthy Whites of Williamsburg is written in several points of view, which I enjoyed as it was very well done. The technique made it easy to see the misunderstandings develop between the characters, as they perpetuate those little untruths or meaningless misconceptions that we often visit on our loved ones. There were surprises too, as each thread was expertly woven by Karpa into a well-written tapestry of modern upper-class life.
Each of the White parents is keeping secrets, and not ones that would be easy to guess. There is family angst and growing pains as the elder daughter, Demmy, nears the end of high school and works toward the next step in her educational pursuits, as well as independence from her parents. The youngest, Abby, twerks her way through life, belting out Lizzo lyrics and unintentionally moving the family toward change and growth.
The Wealthy Whites of Williamsburg was an excellent novel about complex people who are stuck in their ruts while trying to avoid looking in the rearview mirror at what they’ve left in the past. But, the past always comes back to haunt us.
I thoroughly enjoyed Karpa’s story, and will definitely look for other work by this author.
The Reviewer
I’m an avid reader who loves pretty much all genres except math textbooks. As a kid, my parents exposed me to everything from fairies, hobbits, and dragons to the biographies of interesting people around the world, interspersed with poetry, plays, and music. Into adulthood, I spent a lot of years with my nose buried in various textbooks. Now, I read whatever grabs my fancy.