In December of 2016, the Birch family begins to prepare for
a quarantine thanks to the arrival of the oldest daughter,
Olivia who was exposed to Haag Virus in Liberia. While in
Liberia, Olivia makes a careless mistake when it comes to
Haag virus but decides to keep that a secret.
Andrew, a snarky food critic who is best known for family
tales in his reviews rather than reviews of restaurants,
receives unexpected and potentially devastating news from
his past that he is afraid of sharing with his family,
worrying how it will affect his relationship with his wife
as well as his two daughters.
But time is ticking...
Emma, Andrew's wife who is best described as extremely
sentimental has learned some devastating news about
herself, but she decides to keep the news a secret in order
not to spoil the long-awaited Christmas that she has looked
forward to.
I really enjoyed reading SEVEN DAYS OF US by Francesca
Hornak, and I was astounded at the way the author captured
nuances of relationships between the family members in
careful dialogue choices. She never strays from the
personalities she carved for the family members. I could
really relate to the first dinner the family had after a
very long time apart and the uncertain, stilted dialogue
that flowed between them.
I do feel that the story lacked a bit of tension because the
reader learns most of the secrets rather early in the book.
But, Francesca Hornak pulls emotional punches throughout the
book
when she shows how the family secrets start unraveling. I
also loved the heavy focus on family rather than on love
interests. In the end, the family will ultimately support
one another through bad and good times.
For a sweet, heartwarming and humorous holiday story this is
well worth the read.
A warm, wry, sharply observed debut novel about what
happens when a family is forced to spend a week together in
quarantine over the holidays...
It’s Christmas, and for the first time in years the entire
Birch family will be under one roof. Even Emma and Andrew’s
elder daughter—who is usually off saving the world—will be
joining them at Weyfield Hall, their aging country estate.
But Olivia, a doctor, is only coming home because she has
to. Having just returned from treating an epidemic abroad,
she’s been told she must stay in quarantine for a week…and
so too should her family.
For the next seven days, the Birches are locked down, cut
off from the rest of humanity—and even decent Wi-Fi—and
forced into each other’s orbits. Younger, unabashedly
frivolous daughter Phoebe is fixated on her upcoming
wedding, while Olivia deals with the culture shock of being
immersed in first-world problems.
As Andrew sequesters himself in his study writing scathing
restaurant reviews and remembering his glory days as a war
correspondent, Emma hides a secret that will turn the whole
family upside down.
In close proximity, not much can stay hidden for long, and
as revelations and long-held tensions come to light, nothing
is more shocking than the unexpected guest who’s about to
arrive…
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