The Whole Family: a Novel by Twelve Authors

A collaborative novel presents twelve distinct first-person accounts from members and close relations of one household, each chapter giving the perspective of a different relative, from the patriarch and matriarch to aunts, children, in-laws, and a family friend. The narrative centers on a domestic event that triggers gossip, jealousy, divided loyalties, and comic misunderstandings, exposing rival interpretations of honor, affection, and social propriety. Rotating viewpoints illuminate generational tensions, constrained female roles, and the rhythms of small-community manners while allowing irony and gentle satire to arise through conflicting accounts, producing a multifaceted portrait of domestic life told through competing voices.