[3][4] In an interview with Shelf Awareness, Messud described the book as being "about the interconnectedness of our small personal lives and the big historical events always unfolding around us.

[7] On the July/August 2024 issue of Bookmarks, the book received (4.0 out of 5) stars, with the critical summary saying, "By the end, Slate admits, "the Cassars came to feel almost as real to me as my own relatives".

[11] The Los Angeles Times was also positive, praising Messud for incorporating real-world history without losing focus on the family's story.

Meyer simultaneously praised Messud's scope and the depth of the characters, noting that the family secrets revealed in the novel function as "a metaphor for colonial legacy.

[16] The Associated Press noted that the novel's greater message unfolded over the course of generations within the book, while The Boston Globe positively compared Messud to Leo Tolstoy and Marcel Proust.