Seven Days of Us

by Francesca Hornak

Berkley      2017

368 pages     Fiction

It's everyone's worst nightmare—to be stuck with your immediate family in the family vacation house for seven days. Worse: to be stuck over the Christmas holiday quarantined because of a deadly virus. Olivia, a doctor, was treating a ebola-like virus in Liberia. When her term of duty ended, she returned home for the holidays for the first time in several years. But, oh, by the way,  she has to be quarantined. Consequently, everyone will have to be quarantined,  including her mother Emma, father Andrew, and younger sister Phoebe.  Each has a story to tell, secrets to keep, and relationship issues with family members. All is going as well as could be expected until a surprise guest arrives. At that point, the dynamics of the week take an enormous turn.

The story is measured in days—day 1, day 2, etc., and then the chapter is divided by character, so we learn the activities and thoughts of each of them on each of the days. The character's likeability is only just so-so at the outset, and as we learn their shortcomings, their likeability doesn't improve much. One reviewer says: "Each character fell into some cliché, the fix it all mom, the opinionated activist, the favorite, and the pompous and self-righteous." Luckily, because of the introspective moments in the narration, we at least begin to understand where they are coming from. 

Is the book funny? Just margionally, and certainly not at the end. I smiled a couple of times, and was intrigued by the irony of some of the events. Is it poignant? Ultimately, it is very poignant as each of the characters struggle to live with the reality with which they are presented. Do we see growth? Yes, there is considerable growth in each of the characters, but it's speedy growth because it all has to happen in seven days.

Ultimately, Seven Days of Us reads like a soap opera. So, why did I keep reading? Not sure. The story is skillfully told, for one thing.  It moves quickly, and even as I was saying "Oh for God's Sake," I continued to turn the pages. Sometimes a soap opera is just what a reader needs. The Kirkus reviewer says that Hornak "skillfully juggles each character's distinct point of view."  That was the main reason that I finished the book and closed it, satisfied.

I was reminded of a family reunion I attended this summer at our family's vacation homes on Lake Michigan. One evening we sat around telling family story after family story. My sisters, brother, and I were regaling everyone with stories that we had kept close to us or just hadn't told before. One niece commented over one particularly poignant story, "Why haven't I heard this story before?" Sometimes, family relationships need to be kept superficial so that everyone's dignity can be maintained. Sometimes, the stories need to be told. This was one of those times. The reader of Seven Days of Us wishes that the Birch family would be so forthcoming.

Here is the Kirkus review. Also a review by the Caffeinated Reviewer that was particularly good.