Review: The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

• Format: Kindle Edition
• File Size: 995 KB
• Print Length: 368 pages
• Publisher: HarperAvenue (March 22 2016)
• Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers CA
• Language: English
• ASIN: B013PL4UEC

Book Description

A warm, funny and acutely perceptive debut novel about four adult siblings and the fate of the shared inheritance that has shaped their choices and their lives.

Every family has its problems. But even among the most troubled, the Plumb family stands out as spectacularly dysfunctional. Years of simmering tensions finally reach a breaking point on an unseasonably cold afternoon in New York City as Melody, Beatrice, and Jack Plumb gather to confront their charismatic and reckless older brother, Leo, freshly released from rehab. Months earlier, an inebriated Leo got behind the wheel of a car with a nineteen-year-old waitress as his passenger. The ensuing accident has endangered the Plumbs joint trust fund, “The Nest,” which they are months away from finally receiving. Meant by their deceased father to be a modest mid-life supplement, the Plumb siblings have watched The Nest’s value soar along with the stock market and have been counting on the money to solve a number of self-inflicted problems.

Melody, a wife and mother in an upscale suburb, has an unwieldy mortgage and looming college tuition for her twin teenage daughters. Jack, an antiques dealer, has secretly borrowed against the beach cottage he shares with his husband, Walker, to keep his store open. And Bea, a once-promising short-story writer, just can’t seem to finish her overdue novel. Can Leo rescue his siblings and, by extension, the people they love? Or will everyone need to reimagine the future they’ve envisioned? Brought together as never before, Leo, Melody, Jack, and Beatrice must grapple with old resentments, present-day truths, and the significant emotional and financial toll of the accident, as well as finally acknowledge the choices they have made in their own lives.

This is a story about the power of family, the possibilities of friendship, the ways we depend upon one another and the ways we let one another down. In this tender, entertaining, and deftly written debut, Sweeney brings a remarkable cast of characters to life to illuminate what money does to relationships, what happens to our ambitions over the course of time, and the fraught yet unbreakable ties we share with those we love.

An instant new york times bestseller

“Humor and delightful irony abound in this lively first novel.”-New York Times Book Review

“Hilarious and big-hearted, The Nest is a stellar debut.” -People, Book of the Week

“Her writing is like really good dark chocolate: sharper and more bittersweet than the cheap stuff, but also too delicious not to finish in one sitting.” -Entertainment Weekly

“The Nest is an addictive, poignant read with an enticing premise.” -Los Angeles Times

“Intoxicating…I couldn’t stop reading or caring about the juicy and dysfunctional Plumb family.” – Amy Poehler

“A masterfully constructed, darkly comic, and immensely captivating tale.” – Elizabeth Gilbert

“This book keeps its blade sharp and its heart open.” – Matthew Thomas

“Sweeney explores the broken heart of a family with insight and compassion.” – Bret Anthony Johnston

“A wise, funny, compassionate family drama…” – Jami Attenberg

 

About the Author

Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two sons. She has an MFA from The Bennington Writing Seminars. Previously, she lived in New York City and worked for more than two decades writing copy for a variety of clients, including American Express, McDonald’s and more defunct Internet start-ups than she cares to count. Her non-fiction essays have been published in The New York Times Magazine and Martha Stewart Living. The Nest is her first novel. www.cynthia-sweeney.com

My Review

The Nest is a fun book about a very dysfunctional family. I had a hard time liking any of the characters but I had a hard time putting The Nest down. It is already a runaway hit this year. I really enjoyed the book. The ending was very satisfying. Great read!