If The Family Fang should be adapted for a film, I can only imagine Wes Anderson directing it*. This novel has a lot of charm and is equally quirky and fun.
The Fangs are performance artists. They live for creating art that shocks and changes people’s lives. However as their children grow older they are tired of being used to shock people and leave their parents.
After a decade or so both children return to their parents due to some mishaps in their lives. At that moment their parents pull off the greatest art related performance of their lives and it’s up to their children to participate.
The novel’s main question is about art – how far should one go for creating art? what makes good art? what is the state of art in the US today? Wilson manages to pose these questions and dress them up as a charming tour de force. At times this is funny and sometimes oddly tragic but it is a highly entertaining read and should not be ignored.
*UPDATE – it has been adapted by Jason Bateman
The Bobsphere 