The Nix by Nathan Hill

The Nix by Nathan Hill– 628 pages

Book Blurb:

It’s 2011, and Samuel Andresen-Anderson—college professor, stalled writer—has a Nix of his own: his mother, Faye. He hasn’t seen her in decades, not since she abandoned the family when he was a boy. Now she’s re-appeared, having committed an absurd crime that electrifies the nightly news, beguiles the internet, and inflames a politically divided country. The media paint Faye as a radical hippie with a sordid past, but as far as Samuel knows, his mother was an ordinary girl who married her high-school sweetheart. Which version of his mother is true? Two facts are certain: she’s facing some serious charges, and she needs Samuel’s help. To save her, Samuel will have to embark on his own journey, uncovering long-buried secrets about the woman he thought he knew, secrets that stretch across generations and have their origin all the way back in Norway, home of the mysterious Nix. As he does so, Samuel will confront not only Faye’s losses but also his own lost love and will relearn everything he thought he knew about his mother and himself.

My Review: 4 stars

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The Nix is a story that compares to John Irving, Jonathan Franzen and even a bit of Wally Lamb in its ability to be equally character and plot driven. Honestly though, Nathan Hill shouldn’t be compared as his own original voice is riveting. I suffered from two mistakes when reading this book. One was that I met this author before reading it and saw him in the main character, which is a severe no-no. The other is that I read this with a deadline before I went out of the country, as there was no way I was schlepping a 600 page, signed book with me.

The storyline at its heart is sad as it’s about mother and son connections with many other themes throughout. The passage of suffering through the generations, living in the digital world, politics, history, love, honesty, lovers and dealing with the disappointments in life, friendship and writing are also apparent in the novel. Yes, this sounds painful to read, but this author brings in a heaping dose of humor in his characters as well as in some extraordinary scenes.

The book is broken down into 10 parts, which makes the book easier to read. Samuel is an amazing character as his flaws are such a product of his upbringing. The Nix reveals itself in many ways within the novel and I believe when I reread this, at a slower pace, much more will reveal itself.

Quotes I liked:

Love—real, genuine, unasked-for love—made room for more of itself, it turned out. Love, when freely given, duplicates and multiplies.”

-“Perhaps, sir, for our purposes, sir, you shouldn’t think of it as your mother abandoned you. Instead, perhaps think of it as she gave you up for adoption slightly later than usual.”

-“Samuel thought how his father married to his mother was like a spoon married to a garbage disposal.”

-“Seeing ourselves clearly is the project of a lifetime.”