Genre Fiction
![Rebecca Kauffman - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B07CKT2ZZD.jpg)
Chorus: A Novel
For readers of Alice Munro, Elizabeth Strout, and Claire Lombardo, Chorus shepherds seven siblings through two life-altering events-their mother's untimely death, and a shocking teenage pregnancy-that ultimately follow them through their lives as individuals and as a family
The seven Shaw siblings have long been haunted by two early and profoundly consequential events. Told in turns from the early twentieth century through the 1950s, each sibling relays their own version of the memories that surround both their mother's mysterious death and the circumstances of one sister's scandalous teenage pregnancy. As they move into adulthood, the siblings assume new roles: caretaker to their aging father, addict, enabler, academic, decorated veteran, widow, and mothers and fathers to the next generation.
Entangled in a family knot, the Shaw siblings face divorce, drama, and death while haunted by a mother who was never truly there. Through this lens, they all seek not only to understand how her death shaped their family, but also to illuminate the insoluble nature of the many familial experiences we all encounter-the concept of home, the tenacity that is a family's love, and the unexpected ways through which healing can occur.
Chorus is a hopeful story of family, of loss and recovery, of complicated relationships forged between brothers and sisters as they move through life together, and of the unlikely forces that first drive them away and then ultimately back home.
The seven Shaw siblings have long been haunted by two early and profoundly consequential events. Told in turns from the early twentieth century through the 1950s, each sibling relays their own version of the memories that surround both their mother's mysterious death and the circumstances of one sister's scandalous teenage pregnancy. As they move into adulthood, the siblings assume new roles: caretaker to their aging father, addict, enabler, academic, decorated veteran, widow, and mothers and fathers to the next generation.
Entangled in a family knot, the Shaw siblings face divorce, drama, and death while haunted by a mother who was never truly there. Through this lens, they all seek not only to understand how her death shaped their family, but also to illuminate the insoluble nature of the many familial experiences we all encounter-the concept of home, the tenacity that is a family's love, and the unexpected ways through which healing can occur.
Chorus is a hopeful story of family, of loss and recovery, of complicated relationships forged between brothers and sisters as they move through life together, and of the unlikely forces that first drive them away and then ultimately back home.
Editorial Reviews
An Indie Next Pick
A Good Housekeeping Book of the Month
The Millions, A Most Anticipated Book of the Year
"Spare and elegiac . . . Kauffman's insight into her characters' hearts reveals the process by which even the deepest hurts are outlived." -People
"This is a story about love and its resilience, how much we really know about our own family and what binds them together even against seemingly insurmountable odds. Despite everything the world throws at them, the Shaws persevere, and that's a hopeful message we can all use." -Good Housekeeping
"Lyrical and character-driven." -Nicole Fowles, The Delaware Gazette
"A most wonderful novel. Full stop. From the first page, this is a book you will not want to put down . . . [T]hese people were so real, so human, in the way in which they each went about dealing with what life had thrown their way. There is compassion, even in disagreement. There is love, even when apart for long periods of time. There are secrets, long held and considered to be unforgivable-but maybe not. This is family . . . Chorus is a novel that is a delight to read, the writing pitch-perfect and the story more than satisfying." -Charlotte Stein, Metroland Media
"Chorus reveals how ultimately unknowable we are to each other, that often those who have known us the longest and at our most vulnerable are also those who overlook what they don't want to see, just as we often overlook those parts of ourselves . . . Chorus reveals the layers of self and its varied constructions, ultimately creating an honest, multi-layered portrait of a family . . . Kauffman's ending speaks to the hopefulness that can reside within families, the unique ability we have as siblings and sons and daughters to at least attempt a return to simpler times of loving and forgiveness." -Amber Ruth Paulen, Chicago Review of Books
"Each story-like chapter is so poignant-many with the feel of an Alice Munro story-it's easy to fall under Kauffman's spell. But when, after finishing the novel and viewing it in its entirety, the precision and care that went into plotting is clear. The pieces offered are all we need to know at each moment, and those pieces compile to reveal a portrait of the Shaw family ...
A Good Housekeeping Book of the Month
The Millions, A Most Anticipated Book of the Year
"Spare and elegiac . . . Kauffman's insight into her characters' hearts reveals the process by which even the deepest hurts are outlived." -People
"This is a story about love and its resilience, how much we really know about our own family and what binds them together even against seemingly insurmountable odds. Despite everything the world throws at them, the Shaws persevere, and that's a hopeful message we can all use." -Good Housekeeping
"Lyrical and character-driven." -Nicole Fowles, The Delaware Gazette
"A most wonderful novel. Full stop. From the first page, this is a book you will not want to put down . . . [T]hese people were so real, so human, in the way in which they each went about dealing with what life had thrown their way. There is compassion, even in disagreement. There is love, even when apart for long periods of time. There are secrets, long held and considered to be unforgivable-but maybe not. This is family . . . Chorus is a novel that is a delight to read, the writing pitch-perfect and the story more than satisfying." -Charlotte Stein, Metroland Media
"Chorus reveals how ultimately unknowable we are to each other, that often those who have known us the longest and at our most vulnerable are also those who overlook what they don't want to see, just as we often overlook those parts of ourselves . . . Chorus reveals the layers of self and its varied constructions, ultimately creating an honest, multi-layered portrait of a family . . . Kauffman's ending speaks to the hopefulness that can reside within families, the unique ability we have as siblings and sons and daughters to at least attempt a return to simpler times of loving and forgiveness." -Amber Ruth Paulen, Chicago Review of Books
"Each story-like chapter is so poignant-many with the feel of an Alice Munro story-it's easy to fall under Kauffman's spell. But when, after finishing the novel and viewing it in its entirety, the precision and care that went into plotting is clear. The pieces offered are all we need to know at each moment, and those pieces compile to reveal a portrait of the Shaw family ...
Readers Top Reviews
Corina
This novel is a treasure. Each chapter lets us into the lives of the Shaw family. Story is not linear it goes back and forth in time. The story follows the seven siblings in the Shaw family. Each chapter allows us into a particular time in that family member's life. The novel reads like a bunch of connected short stories. The stories are painful and sorrowful. Each member of the family allows you to glimpse at the dynamics of this sometimes flawed family. Each story also shows you how they developed into adults. Sometimes you visit a family member when they were young and gullible. Other times you will get visit them when they are fully formed adults with children of their own. I really enjoyed this novel. It packs quite the punch. This novel reminds me of an Anne Tyler novel in the sense that nothing really dramatic happens in life but life.
Lizzie WAmberEats
I love a good family saga, but this one had me saying "huh?" quite a bit. It jumps from decade to decade with each chapter, so I never felt that I got to know the characters completely. The mother, such a galvanizing force in the family, deserved more development. In all, the most annoying aspect of the book was the changing decades.
@relaxeswithbooks
Chorus was a hard one for me to rate. I ended up going with 3 stars, because it just wasn't for me. It was beautifully written, but I likely wouldn't have picked it up if it wasn't part of my favorite bookclub. Pros: ** We love a historical fiction. I absolutely love reading books from this time in history. ** Short chapters. Also, a quick read at 248 pages. ** Beautifully written. Rebecca does a great job at setting the scenes, and showing the different POV. Cons (for me): ** Lots of characters/relationships to keep up with... Makes the bouncing back and forth through decades hard to follow. ** It took almost 200 pages for me to be truly invested in the outcome of the book. ** I feel like it ended abruptly. There was no Epilogue. What happened to Thomas? @relaxeswithbooks IG
Mary Lins@relaxes
“Chorus” by Rebecca Kauffman, grabbed me immediately, and by the second chapter I was so enamored with her writing style that I’d already ordered all her previous novels! “Chorus” is the story of the Shaw family of seven children (3 boys and 4 girls) from 1903 to 1959. The Shaw’s Virginia farm was once large, but the Great Depression caused Jim Shaw to sell of his land in bits and pieces. The mother, Marie, has confined herself to her room with severe depression. Thus the seven Shaw children are largely on their own or paired off with siblings closest in age, to grow up. Each chapter is a vignette about a different character in the family, and each is beautifully written and thoroughly engaging. This study of sibling relationships over time, and how childhood experiences inform and shape our entire lives, touched my heart and held me spellbound to the end. Rebecca Kauffman is a wonderful and engaging writer, and I can’t wait to read more from her.
