Lianne
Written on Oct 15, 2014
The Fragile World follows the Kaufmans after the loss of their son, Daniel. The grief is raw and quite palpable throughout the book, of how his death has changed the rest of their lives forever. The book follows the perspectives of Olivia and Curtis, whose grief manifests itself in different ways and who overall provides interesting takes on their responses to Daniel’s death.
Curtis and Olivia’s journey to visit Katherine in Omaha after a “moment” back in Sacramento is not only a physical road trip but also an emotional and character journey. Olivia slowly opens up and begins to face her fears, many of which she had been writing down over the years in her “fear journal.” Curtis’ journey on the other hand takes a darker turn as he becomes obsessed in righting and wrong and facing the man who killed his son. It’s tense as there are plenty of opportunities in which Curtis was almost caught, and the climax of his efforts was just harrowing.
The Fragile World thus is a meditation of loss and grief and the ways it can affect both the individual and the family unit. It’s a stressful read; you feel for the characters, and yet their trajectories, especially that of Curtis, leaves the reader feeling uneasy. Nonetheless it’s an interesting meditation on grief and tragedy and the different ways in which people acknowledge and work through them. I would recommend this title for readers of contemporary adult fiction, though you may need to be in a particular mood to read it.