All Adults Here
A funny, uplifting and big-hearted novel about family – an instant New York Times bestseller
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3.3 • 7 Ratings
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- £7.99
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- £7.99
Publisher Description
DISCOVER THE WRY AND AMUSING STORY ABOUT SURVIVING IN A MODERN FAMILY FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
WINNER of the Woman & Home Book Choice Awards!
'A wonderful read' Elizabeth Strout
'Literary sunshine' New York Times
'A gorgeous and witty storyteller' Elizabeth Gilbert, author of City of Girls
'The world will love it' Ann Patchett
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After Astrid Strick - a widowed, 68-year-old mother of three living in upstate New York - witnesses a fatal accident she resolves to live more honestly, starting with the mistakes she made in raising her family. But are her kids, tangled in their own messy adults lives, really ready to be treated like grown ups?
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Praise for All Adults Here:
'Smartly observant, wryly witty, big-hearted . . . Fans of Ann Patchett, Anne Tyler and Lily King should seek [Straub] out' The Sunday Times
'This beautifully written book delves deeply, perceptively and humorously into the contemporary human condition' The Daily Mail
'A glorious mash-up of Elizabeth Strout and Gilmore Girls' Red
'If you're a fan of Anne Tyler's writing, you'll love this captivating well-observed family drama' Good Housekeeping
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
Looking for a ray of light? Look no further than All Adults Here. Emma Straub, the author of the The Vacationers and Modern Lovers, is a genius at making us fall in love with flawed characters who are bumbling their way through life. In this case, she draws us into the misadventures of the Strick family from the charming Hudson Valley town of Clapham: matriarch Astrid, who’s tired of hiding a big, happy secret; oldest brother Elliot, a disgruntled real estate developer; scattered Porter, who runs a goat farm and is guarding a few secrets of her own; and younger brother Nicky, who has all but disappeared into his bohemian New York City existence. But when Nicky sends his wonderful only child, Cecilia, to live with Astrid after a nasty conflict with a classmate, the entire clan is forced to deal with lingering scars and resentments and find their way back together. Straub’s funny, warmhearted novel celebrates love in all its messy, messed-up and redemptive forms—and invites us to believe that we’re never too old to change for the better.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Straub's witty, topical fourth novel (after Modern Lovers), members of a Hudson Valley family come to terms with adolescence, aging, sexuality, and gender. After 68-year-old widow Astrid Strick witnesses an acquaintance get struck and killed by a bus in the center of Clapham, N.Y., she feels compelled to come clean with her children about her new relationship with Birdie, the local hairdresser, before it's too late ("there were always more school buses," she reasons). Astrid's kids have their own issues to contend with. Thirty-seven-year-old Porter, pregnant via a "stud farm" (aka a sperm bank), is having an affair with her old high school boyfriend, while Elliott, the oldest, is preoccupied with a hush-hush business proposal. Nicky, the youngest, and his wife have shipped their only child, 13-year-old Cecilia, up to live with Astrid after a messy incident at her Brooklyn school involving online pedophilia. Despite Cecilia's fear of not fitting in, she finds friendship with a boy who longs to be recognized as a girl but isn't ready to come out as trans. As per usual, Straub's writing is heartfelt and earnest, without tipping over the edge. There are a lot of issues at play here (abortion, bullying, IVF, gender identity, sexual predators) that Straub easily juggles, and her strong and flawed characters carry the day. This affecting family saga packs plenty of punch.