Elizabeth Kelly's first novel, not only topped the New York Times Best Sellers List, but also has become an inspiring story about love, loss and the importance of family. "Apologize, Apologize!" revolves around the harassment of a long-suffering Collie Flanagan, the only rational member of a wealthy family of dog loving- alcoholics, with hypocritical political views, immature playboy actions, media moguls and of course, pigeon racers. As Kelly describes the absurdity-surrounding Collie, I felt annoyed and frustrated for him. I couldn’t imagine having to live with parents that were more preoccupied with sun- tanning (indoors) or trying to agitate Collie’s grandfather, the Falcon, rather than focusing on their children. His family is similar to a car- wreck, driving past you’re thankful that you are not apart of it, but at the same time you can’t help but watch.
Collie had little relief within his own home, a place that is supposed to be a sanctuary, a place to relax and forget about the hectic world. But for Collie, it was a place filled with judgment and frustration. Much of the humor of this first half of the novel revolves around Collie's thoughtful memories of his infuriating family members, one more outrageous than the next. He talks about his brother Bingo as the typical little brother—he follows Collie around, wants to do everything Collie does and he definitely pushes Collie’s buttons. As they grow up, the dynamic changes. They are no longer the carefree brothers that enjoy being around each other (to some degree—I mean let’s face it they are brothers, they can’t get along all the time), but they now buttheads on practically everything. They have become polar opposites—Bingo following the footsteps of his parents and uncle, while Collie is taking the path lead by his grandfather.
“Apologize, Apologize!” is, up to this point, a mixture of angst and humor, but when tragedy hits the Flanagan family everything changes. They are left with regret, anger and guilt, which each member copes with in their own way. This more serious section has a little trouble maintaining its momentum, it is darker and more melancholy—but I believe this was Kelly’s way of integrating Collie’s emotions with the transition of the writing style.
Towards the end, the plot pulls itself together and returns to Collie's charming, frustrating family. Fortunately, the shift is enough to carry the rest of the story towards a tender, attentive conclusion that offers a small amount of release to this long-suffering young man. This also holds true for Kelly’s first novel. “Apologize, Apologize!” is good enough to overcome its flaws and clever enough to make us want more.
