59 pages • 1 hour read
Laurie FrankelFamily Family
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2024A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
The Complexities of Family
Family Family presents an unconventional family structure through the Allwoods, shedding light on how individuals can form familial bonds and how one’s perception of family can undergo significant shifts over time. India’s understanding of family structure undergoes significant evolution throughout the narrative, defying a static definition.
Initially, India’s family consists solely of herself and her mother. Upon falling in love, her family expands to include Robbie. Subsequently, following the birth of her child and her decision to entrust the baby to Camille, India’s perception of family evolves again as she experiences a sense of cosmic connection to the child despite not raising her. Following the breakup with Robbie and her relocation to New York, her concept of family undergoes another transformation as Dakota and her fellow actor friends become akin to family. The bonds formed through shared experiences, commitment, and emotional connections are thus depicted as being as compelling as those rooted in genetics.
During her initial two pregnancies, India did not perceive herself as the children's mother. Subsequently, her induction into motherhood occurs through adoption rather than reproduction, exemplifying her belief that “[t]here are lots of ways to make a family” (32). Upon meeting Bex and being reunited with Camille, India assumes a mother-like role, creating the potential for shared motherhood, wherein both women contribute to Bex’s well-being. Even Fig experiences a shift in her perception of family throughout the novel. Initially, she grapples with defining Bex, claiming she’s not "family family" (67). However, in the end, the two share a bond akin to that of siblings. The Allwood family challenges the conventional notion that a family is exclusively based on shared genetics, capturing the depth of human connections.
The media frenzy following the revelation of India’s secret underscores the societal pressures that divergent family structures often confront. India recognizes that the journey forward may not necessarily be characterized purely by positivity, given the myriad questions that need addressing and the potential for grief and heartache: “This was going to be hard in so many different ways” (90). Nonetheless, the characters discern the true significance of love, acceptance, and forgiveness amidst these intricacies. The Allwood family is depicted as an ongoing endeavor––a tapestry interwoven with threads of love, disappointments, and resilience. Frankel thus provides a nuanced portrayal of family dynamics and underscores the joy and anguish intrinsic to human connections, whether through blood lineage or chosen family.
Exploring Identity
In Family Family, Frankel underscores that identity is not a fixed concept but is continually shaped and reshaped by a person’s experiences and relationships. For both India and her children, identity is a complicated concept that they must evaluate and reevaluate throughout the novel.
India’s experiences reflect her challenges and triumphs while reconciling her past identity with her present reality: “They were unseen tracks heading who knew where, and how do you make a decision to embrace or avoid something when you don’t know where it’s going?” (38). At times, India’s experience of identity is one of compromise: She gives birth to Bex and Lewis without truly feeling like their mother, and she must learn to compromise her artistic vision when she pursues steadier work in television and film as an actor. When she decides to adopt, she must confront the challenges and changes that motherhood brings to her sense of self. As her fame grows, she must also confront the fact that her public persona and her private self are not always the same. In these ways, India experiences her identity as something multi-faceted and frequently shifting.
Frankel's portrayal of adoption also examines how adopted children develop their identities. The complicated interplay of personal discovery, familial bonds, and cultural expectations can be overwhelming for India’s children. For example, Bex’s lack of knowledge about her birth parents makes it difficult for her to understand her roots and how she fits into the bigger picture. Adopted children may look different from their adoptive families, as Lewis’s experience as a biracial child reflects. Meeting Davis in person helps Lewis better understand his identity and reconcile his adoptive identity with his biological background. Similarly, Fig’s identity as an adopted child leads her to feel uncertain and insecure as her family expands. She gradually learns to reconcile her identity with her new circumstances, realizing that her other siblings expand her sense of identity and belonging instead of challenging it.
The novel also highlights the role of family—both biological and chosen—in providing the emotional foundation necessary for individuals to explore and affirm their identities. Sarah offers India support and reassurance as India navigates motherhood, just as India in turn offers support to her children as they grapple with their growing family. While each character’s sense of identity changes in the narrative, the novel ultimately implies that these changes can lead to greater self-understanding and authenticity under the right circumstances.
How Media Shapes Public Perception
The central conflict in the story centers around the media’s sensationalizing of India’s role in a movie that features a controversial depiction of adoption. India soon finds herself in a public relations nightmare, in which anything and everything she says only worsens the situation. Various interest groups want to claim India as their spokesperson by twisting her words to fit their cause. News outlets and tabloids thrive on sensationalism, and journalists like Evelyn Esponson revel in twisting facts and exaggerating minor details to create a story that sells.
In just a matter of hours, India loses control over her own narrative as she and her family become characters in a media spectacle. India explains to Davis that she’s not who they portray her as, saying, “The pictures are lies too” (196). Even Bex falls for the media’s portrayal of India and must adjust her expectations when meeting the real person. Social media further complicates the equation. While it offers a platform for celebrities like India to connect directly with fans, it also exposes her to a relentless barrage of criticism and negativity, all of which her children can read. Trolls and anonymous commenters feel emboldened by the anonymity of the internet, spewing vitriol and hate with little consequence, not realizing the ripple effect of their words. The constant scrutiny of the media and the relentless pressure of social media turns India's dream of fame into a waking nightmare.
India uses her platform to express her concern over the portrayal of adoption in the media. As an adoptive mother, she sees great harm in film and book depictions of adoption that range from sensationalized stories to stereotypical portrayals, which fail to capture the complexity and reality of adoptive families. Frankel highlights how these skewed portrayals can shape public perception, leading to misconceptions and unrealistic expectations about adoption. India speaks out against these media-influenced perceptions, putting her at odds with the simplistic, stigmatizing views presented in popular culture. When the movie executives push India to apologize for her stance, she agrees to set the record straight on her beliefs but refuses to back down from her platform.
Ultimately, India refuses to curate a perfect public persona, which she finds exhausting and inauthentic. Instead, she chooses to walk away from Hollywood fame. Through her depiction of the “smears” and “dwebs” who heckle India from behind a keyboard or stalk her driveway with a camera, Frankel addresses the dangerous ways the media can influence public opinion and the struggles that public figures endure when trying to maintain their privacy.
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By Laurie Frankel
