It may not be wrong to say that this book is a subtle song about the many colours of a ‘family’ and how it continues to reflect crimson and grey skies around our existences despite the many whirlwinds of time.Life, one of Commonwealth's minor characters remarks, is a series of losses. From heartaches to aimlessness, from reunion to illness- the families seem so real that it makes them spring out from the book and nestle right next to us.

Patchett does a masterly job in depicting the ease of embracing pain in the book, which invariably is a legacy of ripe age. The discreet pull between siblings, even step-siblings, finds a tender meaning when expressed in the delicate and measured prose of the author, and the conversations carry an endearing warmth of their own. But towards the second half of the book, the narrative surreptitiously comes together just like a journey which makes much more sense when it comes full circle. Too many characters seem to be vying for the chisel in the author’s hands and consequently, appear rough and flustered. The early parts of the novel have a noticeably slow pace, with lots of words filling-up the space without exuberance and emotion. It is their estranged dreams, shared failures, collective successes, rigid silences, futile questions and mismatched lives that form the crux of this novel. But the six growing children with untamed streams of inquisitiveness and opinions prove more than a handful for the parents. Bert shares a similar sentiment for his four children- Cal, Holly, Jeannette and Albie. When Beverly Keating chooses to marry Bert Cousins, walking away from her husband Fix and two daughters- Caroline and Franny, she is resolute in staying connected to her girls. In Commonwealth, Patchett takes two families and follows their six children across a time span of 50 odd years. Ann Patchett takes us on one such ride through her book Commonwealth.

How does a car-ride across a long, stretched road feel? Bumpy? Restless? Exhilarating? Tiresome? While a whole bunch of elements might prompt you to arrive at one or many words there is, perhaps, a single word that can bring the responses of most of us onto a common plain – unforgettable.

Commonwealth patchett review