When We Grow Up
A Novel
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- ¥1,700
発行者による作品情報
For fans of Fleishman is in Trouble and Such a Fun Age, an electrifying novel about six longtime friends whose tropical vacation is interrupted by an unexpected crisis, forcing them to ask how strong their bonds really are
Clare is supposed to be the grown-up one. Married to the love of her life, with a major deal for her first novel, she has everything she thought she wanted. So then why does it all feel so wrong? When she agrees to a weeklong vacation with five of her oldest friends, she is hoping for an escape with the people who know her best. There is Jessie, who won’t stop talking about her new boyfriend; Mac, trying to pretend he hasn’t outgrown the group; Kyle, the eternal peacemaker; and Renzo, who brought them all together but keeps picking fights. And then, of course, there’s Liam, the guy Clare has barely seen since high school but somehow can’t get out of her head—or her bed.
But when a terrifying news alert shatters their peace, it becomes harder to ignore how much the world has changed since they were teenagers. As the resentments and tensions that have always simmered just beneath the surface begin to boil, Clare must ask if their shared history is enough to sustain their friendships, or if growing up might mean letting go.
With crackling wit and emotional fearlessness, When We Grow Up is a provocative portrait of friendship in a world that feels ever more unrecognizable and a searing exploration of what it means to be a good person.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In Baker's underwhelming sophomore novel (after Our Little Racket), a group of 20-somethings contend with their fading friendships and their mortality during a disastrous vacation in Hawaii. After an alert pops up on their phones urging them to take shelter from an incoming missile ("This is not a drill," the message reads), Clare, an aspiring novelist, realizes she doesn't want to die with the others. Almost an hour later, their phones ping again, notifying them the warning was sent in error. Though they try to have a good time, the scare provokes difficult conservations. Clare has never been close with Jessie, the only other woman in the group, and their long-running competition spikes during the crisis. She's always felt closest to Renzo, even though his condescending nature forces her to seek his approval. There's also Mac, who used to date Jessie while they were in high school, and who makes jokes about being the only Black person in the group. The friends' conversations provide a sounding board for the author to riff on racism, climate change, and other contemporary issues—for instance, when Clare schools Jessie on anti-racist campus protestors—but the conversations barely scratch the surface. This one fizzles.
