I had high hopes for this book — good reviews, all that — but like many other Goodreads readers, I think it was a mixed bag. The chapters about her most recent relatives (fundamentalist mother, strict and perhaps spectrumish father, warm grandmother and more strait-laced grandmother) were the most fascinating, and her attempt to retrace the life of her mother’s father, married 10 times, was equally engrossing. But her stories about the history of genealogy and genetics, about 17th-century witches and ancient hurts, were hit and miss.

Perhaps a narrower memoir would have worked better. Instead, the seeming sprawl of “Ancestor Trouble” makes the pace lag. I understand the need for understanding and forgiveness — an ongoing project with me as well — but, in the end, all you can act on is yourself and hope for the best for those who come after.

I didn’t realize many Europeans only rent their cemetery plots, though. There’s a metaphor there, the most effective of Newton’s book, and its best takeaway.