Modern Lovers
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3.9 • 27 Ratings
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- $15.99
Publisher Description
** 'It's the beautifully drawn, vibrant characters that make this smart, compelling novel so irresistible.' Liane Moriarty **
From the New York Times Bestselling author of The Vacationers, Emma Straub brings us a sharply observed tale of modern love . . .
Twenty years later and they were supposed to be grown-ups...
Ditmas Park, Brooklyn.
Summer in the city . . .
College friends Elizabeth, Zoe and Andrew had a band, grew up, settled in New York and now they are still living round the corner from one another (and in each other's pockets).
One hot summer as their kids come of age, making those first hesitant steps into adulthood, it's the parents who find that the lives they've so carefully stitched together begin slowly to come apart . . .
'Has all the pleasures of Anne Tyler's compelling family portraits . . . with a Lorrie Moore-like sense of the absurdities of contemporary life' Michiko Kakutani, New York Times
'Really entertaining. The characters are complex and likeable. It's one of those stories that makes you realise that life really does run away from you' Guardian
'Straub's characters thrum off the page. The sort of witty and relatable summer title you'll devour with a contented smack of the lips' Independent
'Funny yet tart, warm yet incisive. I adored it' Red
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Like the best kind of indie movie, Modern Lovers invites us into the lives of a group of quirky and neurotic characters that are really fun to hang out with. The novel centres around two Brooklyn couples—Andrew and Elizabeth, Zoe and Jane—and their teenage offspring: dutiful, sweet Harry and firecracker Ruby. Andrew, Elizabeth and Zoe share a complicated history as ex-band members and Zoe and Jane are considering a divorce. Emma Straub’s writing crackles—she shifts nimbly and thoughtfully between perspectives and presents her characters’ transgressions with sly humour and a big heart. We gobbled it up.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Back in the 1980s at Oberlin College, in Ohio, Elizabeth, Andrew, Zoe, and Lydia had a band called Kitty's Mustache. Elizabeth wrote a song called "Mistress of Myself"; Lydia sang it and made it famous, but she died of a heroin overdose at age 27. Two decades later, Elizabeth and Andrew are married and have a son, Harry. Living nearby in Brooklyn's Ditmas Park neighborhood are Zoe and her wife, Jane, with their daughter, Ruby. They own a neighborhood restaurant called Hyacinth. Midlife crises are roiling both marriages: Zoe and Jane are considering divorce; Andrew, the scion of wealthy parents, has never held a meaningful job and is now bemoaning his failure to find fulfillment, and Elizabeth sells real estate in Ditmas and feels responsible for everyone. To further complicate matters, teenagers Harry and Ruby suddenly discover sex. Into this volatile mix comes a Hollywood producer who's making a movie about Lydia and urgently needs the former band members to sign over their rights to the iconic song. Straub (The Vacationers) spins her lighthearted but psychologically perceptive narrative with a sure touch as she captures the vibes of midlife, middle-class angst and the raging hormones of youth. Straub excels in establishing a sense of place: the narrative could serve as a map to gentrified Brooklyn; it's that detailed and visually clear. Events move at a brisk pace, and surprises involving resurgent passion enliven the denouement. Readers will devour this witty and warmly satisfying novel.
Customer Reviews
Not so modern families
Author
American. Born NYC, lives Brooklyn where she runs an independent bookstore. Her father Peter Straub wrote horror and supernatural fiction. She has four published novels, all NY Times best sellers, and a short story collection to her credit.
Precis
Four students (3 of them female) form an indie rock band at Oberlin College (Ms Straub's alma mater) in the 1990s. One of them, Lydia, makes it big as a solo artist then joins the Morrison-Joplin-Hendrix-Cobain club when she dies of an overdose aged 27. The rest are now 50 and live close to each other in Brooklyn. Andrew (Lydia's old beau) who has a trust fund and is into alternative lifestyle stuff, is married to Elizabeth, now a real estate agent but the driving force behind the band musically back in the day. They have a 16-year-old son Harry. Mixed race lesbian Zoe runs a restaurant with her spouse Jane who is Jewish. They have a daughter Ruby a year older than Harry, who has a major crush. Cue middle class Brooklyn angst intermingled with awkward teen love story.
Writing
Crisp, clear, good pacing, dialogue, and character development. Competent, comfortable read.
Bottom line
Technically sound, but ultimately meh. 'Packed to the Rafters' goes to Brooklyn.