Book Review: Commonwealth, by Ann Patchett
By Julia Padgett
We start in California with oranges and gin before being pulled into a tale that spans fifty years and ends in the snow of Virginia. This book does such a marvelous job of examining how shame and secrets drive a wedge that lasts for decades. The public way that two families are about to be exposed to the realities of the past is unique and provides enough tension to where you don’t flounder too long in the drama. But the artistry of how Patchett brings those tensions to you--- never telling, only showing brief glimpses and mentions—is a writer that is at the top of her form.
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