Privilege
The Latecomer is yet another novel in which wealthy, privileged white people in the greater New England region of the country deal with common problems experienced by the rest of the community. Even among reviews that are positive, one of the most common complaints about the book is that it could have benefited greatly with extreme editing of the chapters focusing on the lives of the Oppenheimer triplets. The general consensus among those subscribing to this view is author makes the mistake of equating a life of privilege with being interesting. By refraining from editing the book in order to improve the pace, a theme that was perhaps not intended takes over. Interestingly, that theme applies to all three triplets, but not their sister, the latecomer. Alone among the four Oppenheimer offspring, she does not suffer the fate of boring arising from the choice to be distinctly unpleasant.
Perspective and Perception
The narrative structure of the book is directed toward exploring the twin theme of perspective and perception. Though raised in the same home by the same parents and enjoying the same privileges, the perspective of each triplet is such that might as well be strangers. The story of each triplet is explored in detail through the most significant developmental period of life, including heading off to the independence of college. The biggest saving grace of this portrait of New England-ish privileged family is that they are not another one of those typical families inhabiting such stories with absurd family rituals like putting on an annual Christmas pageant for friends or ensuring no member of the family ever misses the formal Sunday dinner. While those types of fictional families may be dysfunctional in other ways, this book is truly a portrait of a systemically dysfunctional family. The conflicts between them are not borne of previous slights or abuse or trauma but arise organically at the moment of birth. As a result, everything about how each views the family is seen through a uniquely individual perception belonging exclusively to themselves and not dependent upon the influence of any other member of the family. This theme is infused with the underlying subtext subtly hinting that all claims of familial bonds may be a result of perception than reality.
