[Umrigar’s] focus has always been on the Indian and Indian American experience, but here she crosses borders to examine tough and timely issues concerning a black family, a white family, and our children today.” — Library Journal
“Everybody’s Son probes directly into the tender spots of race and privilege in America…With assured prose and deep insight into the human heart, Umrigar explores the moral gray zone of what parents, no matter their race, will do for love.” — Celeste Ng, author of Everything I Never Told You
“Umrigar hits us in three places at once: the head, the heart... the gut. With clarity of vision, she takes on the story of a neglected black boy…[Anton] is a character for our times as we… try and build bridges across the racial and economic canyons that divide us.” — David Abrams, author of Fobbit and Brave Deeds
“A potent examination of race and privilege.” — Booklist
“…[A] powerful exploration of the crucible of privilege and the raw, hard consequence of broken trust…[A] taut, exquisitely moving love story about desire... forgiveness, and the transcendent bond between a parent and child. Umrigar is a gifted storyteller, and her fiction has a revelatory force on the page.” — Dawn Tripp, author of Georgia
“The writing is clear, nuanced, and gorgeous and never even a word is preachy.... [Everybody’s Son] eloquently and heartbreakingly homes in on America’s problem with race, entitlement, and class, and uncovers all the compromises we get to make — but only if we are lucky enough to be born in the right neighborhood.” — Boston Globe
“[Anton’s] personal journey is a moving one that many fiction readers can appreciate.” — Library Journal
“Through this disturbing yet evocative tale, Umrigar — best known for her books “The Space Between Us” and “The World We Found” — offers a troubling look at race and the conflicting desires of two families.” — Washington Post
“Through strong characterizations and a compassionate, compelling narrative, Thrity Umrigar explores the assumptions and complexities of identity, race and class — and the meaning of family.” — Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Be forewarned: this novel is not a beach read… It’s a book that will leave you unsettled and haunted.” — W Magazine
“Everybody’s Son is an example of powerful and uncomplicated writing which pushes your borders and leaves you at the edge of a mountain top. The only option you have is to jump. And jump you will.” — The Free Press Journal
“Heartbreaking… The complexity of ethical decisions emerges as the characters find themselves in situations where no choice seems faultless.” — Christian Century
“Umrigar’s novel examines complex social issues with brutal honesty, but also creates accessible characters with relatable motives, reminding us of the deep-seated racism that exists even in the places we don’t think to look.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)
…[A] powerful exploration of the crucible of privilege and the raw, hard consequence of broken trust…[A] taut, exquisitely moving love story about desire... forgiveness, and the transcendent bond between a parent and child. Umrigar is a gifted storyteller, and her fiction has a revelatory force on the page.
Through strong characterizations and a compassionate, compelling narrative, Thrity Umrigar explores the assumptions and complexities of identity, race and class — and the meaning of family.
A potent examination of race and privilege.
The writing is clear, nuanced, and gorgeous and never even a word is preachy.... [Everybody’s Son] eloquently and heartbreakingly homes in on America’s problem with race, entitlement, and class, and uncovers all the compromises we get to make — but only if we are lucky enough to be born in the right neighborhood.
Be forewarned: this novel is not a beach read… It’s a book that will leave you unsettled and haunted.
Umrigar hits us in three places at once: the head, the heart... the gut. With clarity of vision, she takes on the story of a neglected black boy…[Anton] is a character for our times as we… try and build bridges across the racial and economic canyons that divide us.
Everybody’s Son probes directly into the tender spots of race and privilege in America…With assured prose and deep insight into the human heart, Umrigar explores the moral gray zone of what parents, no matter their race, will do for love.
Through this disturbing yet evocative tale, Umrigar — best known for her books “The Space Between Us” and “The World We Found” — offers a troubling look at race and the conflicting desires of two families.
A potent examination of race and privilege.
Through this disturbing yet evocative tale, Umrigar — best known for her books “The Space Between Us” and “The World We Found” — offers a troubling look at race and the conflicting desires of two families.
Everybody’s Son is an example of powerful and uncomplicated writing which pushes your borders and leaves you at the edge of a mountain top. The only option you have is to jump. And jump you will.
Heartbreaking… The complexity of ethical decisions emerges as the characters find themselves in situations where no choice seems faultless.
04/15/2017
When nine-year-old Anton is abandoned for a week by his drug-addicted mother, he enters the foster system and is taken in by David Coleman, a judge from a prominent political family, and his wife, Delores, who are still coping with the untimely loss of their son. David's position and connections allow him to manipulate the situation to his advantage and, as he believes, Anton's. In college, Anton must confront the dissonance between his early life and his adoptive family when he becomes romantically involved with the volatile and outspoken Carine. Later, when Anton starts his own political career, he is no longer able to escape early injustices done on his behalf and begins his journey toward becoming whole. Umrigar (Bombay Time) takes on the tricky task of exploring race in America, choosing a narrowly focused story regarding one family rather than attempting a broader sweep. She exposes the unconscious bias of powerful white liberals such as David, who fails to consider or understand the bond between Anton and his birth mother. VERDICT While the depiction of Anton's political rise during the last half of the book feels somewhat generic, his personal journey is a moving one that many fiction readers can appreciate. [See Prepub Alert, 12/12/16.]—Christine DeZelar-Tiedman, Univ. of Minnesota Libs., Minneapolis
Narrator Josh Bloomberg provides a thought-provoking reading of this exploration of race relations, the "white savior" complex, and the depth of family bonds. After being left alone by a crack-addicted mother, Anton breaks out of the house, enters foster care, and is then adopted by the Colemans, a prominent political family. Groomed for a life of ambition and high achievement by his adoptive father, Anton is poised to reach new heights in his career when he unexpectedly receives a letter from his birth mother that throws his new life into question. Bloomberg's narration immerses the listener in the story by capturing Anton's accent and youthful hesitancy, Anton's mother's Georgia accent, and the adoptive family's cool reserve and Northeastern accent. S.E.G. © AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine
2017-03-21
A neglected 9-year-old biracial child adopted by a powerful white family grows up to fulfill his potential only to confront a secret which will recast his entire sense of self.The question haunting Umrigar's (The Story Hour, 2014, etc.) seventh novel is: when? When will the chickens come home to roost? After Anton Vesper's new father, Judge David Coleman, manipulates both the child and his crack-addict mother, Juanita, in order to cement Anton's adoption? David and his trusting wife, Delores, lost their only son, James, in a car crash, and while Anton will never replace James, David thinks fostering the boy will help Delores heal. Soon the judge is convinced that all parties (except Juanita) will be better off with Anton living with the Colemans permanently. The son of a senator and tapped for the governorship himself, David has powerful friends who help ensure a lengthy prison term for Juanita, and when her release is imminent, David persuades her, with lies, to relinquish custody of her son. Years pass. Anton—also lied to—thrives, studies at Harvard, and is elected attorney general, but the reckoning is unavoidable. Umrigar's conscientious, one-track story doesn't offer much in the way of nuance. Characters are simple, plot developments easy to predict, and the racial lessons heavily underscored. David abuses his power; Juanita, poor, black, and unsophisticated, is "railroaded by a bunch of powerful white men"; and Anton had "three parents in his life [who] had each betrayed him." While the author delivers her morally explicit story in an efficient, readable fashion, the inevitability of its outcome renders it earthbound. This tale of identity and privilege never shakes off its sense of running a mechanical course.
