The Last Romantics

I was enamored at first by the idea that an old, famous poet was the narrator of The Last Romantics, but what captivated me, once I started reading, was the narrator’s deep dive into her childhood with her three siblings and the course their lives took after. This novel by (now) local author Tara Conklin asks what siblings owe each other. Can you save a sibling? How well can you see someone you know up close yet may not know well enough? And how do people change over a lifetime? Was what happened at age seven a warning or just a bad tantrum? Ah, I was sad when I was done hanging out with Renee, Caroline, Joe, and the poet, Fiona. Conklin’s tale reminded me of Meg Wolitzer’s book The Interestings, and I’m thrilled that I haven’t yet read her first book, The House Girl.