Any Other Family

By: Eleanor Brown

Narrated by: Brittany Pressley, Lindsey Dorcus, Sean Patrick Hopkins, Soneela Nankani, Anthony Rey Perez, Thérèse Plummer, Jamil Schulze

A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice

The New York Times bestselling author of The Weird Sisters returns with a striking and intimate new novel about three very different adoptive mothers who face the impossible question: What makes a family?

Though they look like any other family, they aren’t one—not quite. They are three sets of parents who find themselves intertwined after adopting four biological siblings, having committed to keeping the children as connected as possible.

At the heart of the family, the adoptive mothers grapple to define themselves and their new roles. Tabitha, who adopted the twins, crowns herself planner of the group, responsible for endless playdates and holidays, determined to create a perfect happy family. Quiet and steady Ginger, single mother to the eldest daughter, is wary of the way these complicated not-fully-family relationships test her long held boundaries. And Elizabeth, still reeling from rounds of failed IVF, is terrified that her unhappiness after adopting a newborn means she was not meant to be a mother at all.

As they set out on their first family vacation, all three are pushed into uncomfortably close quarters. And when they receive a call from their children’s birth mother announcing she is pregnant again, the delicate bonds the women are struggling to form threaten to collapse as they each must consider how a family is found and formed.

©2022 Eleanor Brown (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of:
Real Simple's Best Books of 2022
Southern Livings’s Beach Reads Perfect for Summer 2022
Entertainment Weekly’s 16 Novels We’re Excited for This Summer

"A tearjerker that nails the issues of fertility, adopton, and raising kids, this is a conversation starter about parenthood you don't want to miss." –Real Simple

“[A] treat of a novel…[Brown] examines the pressures placed on mothers while considering what makes a family and comes up with a wonderful answer: commitment and love.” –Minneapolis Star Tribune

“Brown explores the meaning of motherhood and the limits of a blended family in her vivid character study of four biological siblings adopted by three sets of parents, set across the span of a single (and singular) vacation.” –Entertainment Weekly

Amazing novel

The novel is so captivating and so rich on details!
Loved it from beginning to end!!

Family

Eye opener for the struggles of infertility and dynamics of adoption.
Keeping family a priority.

A blended family

Would have loved a review from the children when they were grown. Was this a good thing for them?Or a confusing thing for Them.

Good book. disappointing ending.

Good book on non-traditional families and adoption. My own family has our adopted daughter and we are friends with the other adoptive family who adopted her biological sister and brother so it was great to see this scenario in a novel. Also Elizabeth's infertility struggles hit home for me and the author does a great job with the truth of her infertility story. The performance of each woman's chapters were also well done. I just was really disappointed with the ending and unanswered questions.

What is family?

This story attempts to answer the question of what makes a family, and does it quite well. All narrators are excellent, with Brittany's performance being a stand out among the rest. A great cast of characters as well.

Very inventive story.

You like then dislike most of the women then like again. All the men are great. The story is about open adoption with a very inventive twist.

fascinating approach to open adoption

slow engagement initially and well worth my time and patience! interesting characters and universal parenting challenges.

A true gift

Eleanor Brown has done a phenomenal job painting a nuanced picture of motherhood while asking with what it means to be a family. I was taken back to my days as a young mother with more compassion for myself in those difficult years.

highly recommend!

great writing, amazing narration, and a great novel for those who are & who are not a part of adoption

The characters are hard for me to like …

I am a bit past the halfway point of this audio book. I do not like any of the characters and this has never happened to me before. In 5 hours, 55 minutes, and 19 seconds, no character has earned my praise. Your choices are the Enabler, the Victim, the Whiner, the Passive-Agressor, and the Judge; then you have the men. The children, at least thus far, are bit players. Finally, in the last five minutes of listening before arriving home, one of the husbands began to show promise, so maybe there is hope. And the whole concept of THE FAMILY is just frightening. This is what a systems therapist would call a fused emotional mass. I am going to continue on toward the end and then add to the review, but just needed to unload a bit.