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, Beat... Read more

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 but months away from finally receiving. Meant by their now-deceased father to be a modest midlife 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 two looming college tuitions 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 futures 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. The Nest is a story about the power of family, the possibilities of friendship, the ways we depend on 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. "In her intoxicating first novel, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney has written an epic family story that unfolds in a deeply personal way. The Nest is a fast moving train and Sweeney's writing dares us to keep up. I couldn't stop reading or caring about the juicy and dysfunctional Plumb family."Amy Poehler, author of Yes Please "A masterfully constructed, darkly comic, and immensely captivating tale. The desperate and entitled people who populate this novel are messy as hell (they lie, they cheat, they steal, and by God do they ever connive), but somehow I found it impossible not to care about each and every oneand even, over time, to love them. The trick here lies in the storytelling, which is not only clever but emotionally astute. Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney is a real talent, and I am incredibly impressed by this book."Elizabeth Gilbert, author of The Signature of All Things "The Nest ambles along so beautifully, what a pleasure to read! It's a wise, funny, compassionate family drama, full of irresistible surprises, witty conversations, and necessary emotional truths."Jami Attenberg, author of The Middlesteins "Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney explores the broken heart of a family with insight and compassion, revealing the myriad ways their wounds, loneliness, and unlikely hopes mirror our own. The novel is full of gorgeous surprise and abiding humanity. The Nest is a book that will stay with you long after you read the last page, and Sweeney is the kind of writer that readers have needed for a long, long time. How happy we are that she's here now."Bret Anthony Johnston, author of Remember Me Like This "Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney delivers an acerbic satire of the leisure class while crafting an affecting human story that embroils us utterly in the fates of the Plumbs. At first the Plumb universe looks like one in which pragmatism trumps love, desires rule, and the responsibility to others bows before the need for self-preservation at all costs. But what's truly impressive is the way Sweeney's characters discover unexpected depths and earn redemption. This book keeps its blade sharp and its heart open."Matthew Thomas, author of We Are Not Ourselves Less