The Laments: A Novel

by George Hagen

Book Overview

Meet the Laments--the affably dysfunctional globetrotting family at the center of George Hagen's exuberant debut novel. Howard is an engineer who dreams of irrigating the Sahara and lives by the motto... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400062217
• Release Date: June 2004
• Publisher: Random House
• Length: 384 Pages
• Weight: 1.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 9.5" x 1.2" x 6.6"

Customer Reviews

A poignant, well-crafted tale of a well-intended, misfortuned family

The Lament family just can't win for losing, but the eccentricities of their actions and the determination of their spirit make this a compelling, charismatic story. The family motto "Laments travel" becomes the mantra of Julia and Howard Lament's lives. They are compelled to travel as if it is in their blood, but each time they do, they lose a little of themselves in the process. When their first son is born, the joy of his birth is shrouded immediately in a sorrow that would change the course of their lives. This parallels their life's journey with a physical journey that involves an endless serious of moves. The journey for self-fulfillment and belonging leads the South Rhodesian family in a journey that will cost them more than they had ever imagined. George Hagen's first novel is fascinating and well-crafted. I didn't want to put this novel down for hours at a time, and even then, I couldn't wait to pick it back up. You will fall in love with the eccentric and ambitious Howard, the loyal and intelligent Julia, and their perceptive, socially-awkward son Will. The family is tragically-lovable, and your will be compelled to follow their global quest for belonging and fulfillment. Although I knew nothing of this novel when I chose it, it was one of the most compelling books that I have read in years. I would recommend it to anyone who wants a quirky, heartwarming tale of family and belonging. Although there are several adult themes in the book, it is a story that anyone who has ever wondered where he or she really belongs will enjoy. It is storytelling at its finest, and you would be remissed in not giving it a read.

Top notch family saga!

'The Laments' is one of the best books I've read in a long time, and I read voraciously. George Hagen mixes humor and sadness into a compelling, heartrenching novel. His prose is clean, and the pages fly. I normally don't recommend novels because people's taste in books is so relative, but I can't imagine anyone not liking this novel. Highy recommended.

Laugh Out Loud Funny

Does it tell you anything that I kept interrupting my wife to read her bits out of this first novel by George Hagen? The characters are just screwy enough that they keep you off balance with their oddities, their turns of phrase, their impulsive comments and, even more, their impulsive behavior, mostly done in good humor and definitely done with funny outcome. Others before me have written synopses of the plot and I won't get into that. But I will say that the father of the Laments (an engineer who is 'in valves') provides the engine for the saga by repeatedly moving the family from one corner of the world to another. In a sense this is like a funny travel book, except the Laments always live 'on the economy' and are able to interact with the locals' idiosyncrasies in their own appealing way. I enjoyed 'The Laments' thoroughly. I'm just afraid that my wife, who is now reading the book, will be disappointed that she has already had some of the good bits read out loud to her. Ah, well, there's plenty more where that came from. (Be on the lookout for the passage about the olive oil with the particularly tangy aftertaste.) Scott Morrison

Sad but true

This is a totally engaging novel that will ring true to many people: the Laments are family members, seemingly going in many different directions, even if, as in this case, they end up in the same place... Funny and very sad, this engrossing read takes no energy to get through, with its brief chapters and fleet delivery, but it makes quite an impact. George Hagen is an acute observer of family life and I hope he has more gentle humour to impart.

336 pages of pleasure

Start hoping now that George Hagen is hard at work on this next novel, because when you finish "The Laments" you won't be able to wait. "Laments travel," explains Howard Lament, a Southern Rhodesian engineer with a deep fascination for valves. His wife, the bold, arty Julia, their son Will (who is not really their son but an infant given to them after a peculiar mixup in the maternity ward), and later a pair of rambunctious twin boys join him in these travels which take them first to Bahrain, then back to Africa, then to England, and finally to New Jersey. In one place after another Will falls for the odd-girl-out and the twins pick up the local accent and wreak the havoc particular to that place. The Laments' adventures are charming and endrossing, even when their story begins to darken upon their arrival in the US. John-Irving-ish events occur which cast a pall over the family and make the reader wonder about the purpose of sending the story in this direction. Is it to show that suburban America can be the weirdest place of all? Don't we know that already? When Howard recommends that the Laments move again, you'll be all for it if it means getting them out their increasingly uncomfortable situation.George Hagen is a first novelist of great talent with a high-spirited, engaging style and the ability to create appealing characters. "The Laments" is the sort of book readers will look forward to getting back to. He still has some learning to do (the twins, George, the twins!) but this will not lessen the enjoyment of this novel. This would be an interesting book club selection with lots of opportunity for lively discussion.