All the Lonely People
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3.8 • 5 Ratings
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- $2.99
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- $2.99
Publisher Description
Perfect for fans of Tina Fey, Jennifer Weiner, Nick Hornby, and Jen Lancaster, this wry, touching novel from the author of Driving Sideways follows a cast of five endearing misfits who form a family of choice to try and make sense of their families of origin.
WANTED: a whole new family to share holidays with. Please have a good heart and be a thoughtful, polite person. No sociopaths, no pedophiles, no fans of the Kardashians. We're not weirdos, I promise. I love old Steve Martin movies, new Steve Martin banjo tunes, Indian food, and reruns of Bob Ross painting happy little trees. So if you're looking for something other than the typical family dysfunction this Christmas, drop us a line.
After losing her beloved mother to cancer, 37-year-old Jaime Collins must confront the ugly fact that she and her siblings don't actually like one another. At all. Fueled by grief and an epic argument at Thanksgiving dinner, Jaime decides to divorce her brother and sister and posts an ad on Craigslist for a new family with whom to share Christmas dinner.
What happens next is a heartwarming, funny, and surprising journey to forgiveness and healing. Is blood really thicker than water? What makes a family? And how far do we have to go to find our way back home again?
Dedicated to anyone who has ever wanted to unfriend a relative on Facebook, All the Lonely People is about family: those you make ... and those you make peace with.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Riley (Mandatory Release) creates a standout character in the sad, funny, irreverent Jaime Collins, who posts an online ad for a replacement family with which to share Christmas. Jaime's Thanksgiving at her brother's house was a disaster. Her mother had recently died of ovarian cancer; her father has been absent for decades; and her brother Clint's "kinder moments have become about as rare and real as Yeti sightings." Their sister Gwen wasn't even present she has always been an ice queen and the holiday finally fails when Clint orders Jaime from his home. Jaime doesn't feel quite like she and her husband, Erik, comprise a proper family because they have no children, and so she places an online ad seeking lonely people who wish to share Christmas dinner. The responses are mixed, but she chooses a diverse group of four to share the holiday meal at a local restaurant: the widow Evelyn; the transgender Chris; Paul, "nuttier than your Uncle Pete and entertaining as hell"; and grad student Alyssa. Though they range in age and lifestyle, they get along. The pain of Jaime's losses is profound, but this comic tragedy is saturated with humor, which ranges from slapstick to acerbically witty. Riley's page-turner is equally touching and laugh-out-loud funny. (BookLife)
