Product Description
Pete Dizinoff has spent years working toward a life that would be, by all measures, deemed successful. A skilled internist, he’s built a thriving practice in suburban New Jersey. He has a devoted wife, a network of close friends, and an impressive house, and most important, he has a son, Alec, on whom he’s pinned all his hopes. Pete has afforded Alec every opportunity, bailed him out of close calls with the law, and even ensured his acceptance into a good college.
But Pete never counted on the wild card: Laura, his best friend’s daughter—ten years older than Alec, irresistibly beautiful, with a past so shocking that it’s never spoken of. When Laura sets her sights on Alec, Pete sees his plans for his son not just unraveling but being destroyed completely. Believing he has only the best of intentions, he sets out to derail this romance and rescue his son. He could never have foreseen how his whole world would shatter in the process.
Lauren Grodstein delivers a riveting story in the tradition of The Ice Storm,American Beauty, and Little Children, charting a father’s fall from grace as he struggles to save his family, his reputation, and himself.
But Pete never counted on the wild card: Laura, his best friend’s daughter—ten years older than Alec, irresistibly beautiful, with a past so shocking that it’s never spoken of. When Laura sets her sights on Alec, Pete sees his plans for his son not just unraveling but being destroyed completely. Believing he has only the best of intentions, he sets out to derail this romance and rescue his son. He could never have foreseen how his whole world would shatter in the process.
Lauren Grodstein delivers a riveting story in the tradition of The Ice Storm,American Beauty, and Little Children, charting a father’s fall from grace as he struggles to save his family, his reputation, and himself.
Reviews/Praise
—Stephen King
“With keen responsiveness to the emotional undercurrents and incremental deepening of stress, Adamson potently communicates the power and intensity of the characters’ conflicts and their implacable decisions. His interpretation of Laura’s crime is particularly moving and compassionate. Adamson is keenly sensitive to the roller-coaster elements of the plot, vigorously capturing a sense of impending doom.”
—Booklist
“Grodstein’s superb second novel is a deft portrayal of suburban life, and Adamson more than does justice to the fine material in his tour-de-force performance.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Adamson is superb in drawing out all the characters’ inner torments. His risk-taking performance is so good it will leave listeners wondering if this is just fine acting or if Adamson is personally familiar with this emotional landscape.”
—AudioFile
“Strongly recommended.”
—Library Journal [Starred Review]
“Unfolds with the suspense of Hitchcock . . . [Grodstein] is a terrific storyteller and an even better ventriloquist. She beautifully captures Pete’s sly self-deceptions . . . Ultimately, though, this is less a novel about one imperfect citizen than a sharp account of the status-driven suburban culture that turned him into a monster of conformity.”
—The New York Times Book Review
“An astute dissector of male aspiration, Grodstein brings great insight into a father’s protective urge for his son in this gripping portrait of an American family in crisis.”
—Publishers Weekly [Starred Review]
“Grodstein has a masterful handle on the ceaseless demands of mid-life. “A Friend of the Family“ is a gripping account of paternal love gone wildly astray.”
—Helen Schulman, author of A Day at the Beach
“What a wonderful and compelling read. This book is full of insights and honesty, you will have a hard time putting it down. These people will stay in your head, and keep their hands on your heart. Grodstein’s skills at story telling are unwavering.”
—Elizabeth Strout, author of Olive Kitteridge