It's not heavy or intellectual, the characters are all quirky, many are short-tempered and swear a lot. Yet the family and their history is interesting enough that I really enjoyed this one. Lots of good Thunder Bay references, and even though I have never been there, they match with the stereotypes in a great self-deprecating way.
My only complaint is with the teens (except London). They seem fake and horrible. Teens bully and judge, yes, but they do so with much more subtlety and insecurity than the ones in this book. ( )

I'm a sucker for books set in Northern Ontario, and an even bigger sucker for books about dysfunctional families. So, suffice to say, this is one of my favourite books of all time. With the wide cast of wonderful characters, the family dynamics that range from funny to painful, and a setting so rich that Thunder Bay becomes a character in and of itself, this is a fantastic read. ( )

This novel is a culmination of its title, "We’re All in This Together," a fast-paced story imagined by Amy Jones of a dysfunctional family who comes together, unravels, and comes together again when faced with the news of their matriarch, Kate, who goes over the Kakabeka Falls in a barrel, only to be left in a coma while her family ponders the source of her reasoning in doing so.

But, it’s not the plot in the novel that is at the heart of the story, but rather the characters’ personal narratives, which delve into disclosing secret desires, repressed fears, and unresolved issues of anger—and when placed together, create a mosaic of failed and absurd, yet passionate characters.

"We’re All in This Together" is primarily a character-driven novel screaming at the top of its lungs, “Yes, we’re screwed up—but we are, who we are!”

There is Finn, the twin sister who left the rural hold of small-town Thunder Bay and the unforgiving sins of her twin sister, Nicki, for the lucrative dream of a career in journalism and a deceptively “successful” life in the city of Toronto, only to succumb to the recourse of loneliness from the cut ties of her family, a borrowed dog that she watches for her neighbour, and pretentious co-workers she doesn’t particularly like who rival one another with shallow gossip over periodical drinks.

Nicki, Finn’s twin sister, while her polar opposite, is as sexually promiscuous as she is brash and abrasive; traits she’s not afraid to use against her twin, with whom she consistently rivals, betrays, and bewilders by the audacity of her actions, and unbeknownst to her, the striking resemblance of her children.

Shawn, the inheritor of a pancake restaurant, the estranged husband of a real estate agent named Katriina, and the informally adopted son of the Parker family, is both burdened by the premature responsibility he inherited as a teenager when his mother figure was not well enough to take care of things at home, as well as the ultimatum he’s forced to face in having to choose between either saving his own marriage, pursuing his career ambitions, or staying behind in Thunder Bay to remain in his role as grounded son and peacemaker brother.

Katriina, his wife, is burdened by severe insecurity, tragic, internal self-deprecation, and the incessant need to feel in control. Put together, this all triggers a compulsion towards disturbing behaviour, a secret neurosis, and the brink of collapse.

Walter, also affectionately known as Waiting Walter, is Kate’s husband, a quiet and devoted lover, a person of great depth and keen observation, yet a person often devalued and underappreciated because of his introversion. He’s a passionate ecologist taken by the beauty and mystery of the shoreline of Tee Harbour and the majesty of Lake Superior—his Lady Superior—more an entity in person to him and a beloved mistress of sorts, rather than a simple lake as it is to others.

There are more minor characters in the novel, but rather than disclose them, I prefer to leave something more for the readers to enjoy and discover on their own.

While the characters were interesting enough in of themselves, their personal failings, dysfunction, and interactions with one another sometimes went so far as to feel unrealistic, almost bordering absurdity.

And some movements in the plot were so extreme, the characters seemed to almost metamorphose into caricatures.

Still, one could argue that the absurdity of the plot and the extreme reactions of its characters could indeed be plausible with a little concession to its plausibility. Sure.

To read the rest of my review, please visit my blog, Zara's Closet:
https://zarasclosetblog.wordpress.com/2016/10/22/book-review-were-all-in-this-to...

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many thanks to mclelland & stewart (PRHC) for the ARC edition of this book -- i have been keenly anticipating this read in 2016.

the parker family is one hot mess. but aren't all families in at least one way or another? jones has created an interesting cast of characters in her novel, and i particularly loved how each character had their own warning sign included in a legend. each chapter is headed by one the ten signs. i feel like jones got into some really interesting research while working on this book - lake superior, geology, marine life, daredevils going over falls, paris, health issues... it all weaves well into creating the parker family history and foundation. i very much enjoyed the thunder bay setting

there were a few issues with the novel i had a bit of trouble with -- there is a device that repeats, 'if this were a movie...' crops up many times to denote how a film version of the parker life would vary from the reality. a bit meta, heh! the first couple of times it was interesting... but i felt it just came up too many times and it took me out of the flow of the read. another issue, i was more invested and engaged in certain storylines and characters, so then felt the other threads to be noisy (if that makes sense?) finally, i also felt like a couple of the story arcs petered out a bit weakly.

but these aren't huge complaints... just things i noticed while reading that were a little distracting. really, there is a lovely heart to we're all in this together. jones does a wonderful job with tensions and frictions in family, the things that go unsaid and bubble just below the surface, and the different ways people are never fully known to others. as well, jones displays wonderful sensitivity in charting kate's, the parker family matriarch's, path.

and, because this tune has been in my mind ever since i learned the title of this novel, and i can't stop thinking about it even time i think of this book ... i give you sam roberts band. 'keep moving don't stop", indeed! : https://youtu.be/VojforS6qFM

you're welcome. :) ( )