The Adults will be published on February 22nd 2011 by Scribner (Simon and Schuster).In her ruefully funny and wickedly perceptive debut novel, Alison Espach deftly dissects matters of the heart and captures the lives of children and adults as they come to terms with life, death, and love. At the center of this affluent suburban universe is Emily Vidal, a smart and snarky teenager, who gets involved in a suspect relationship with one of the adults after witnessing a suicide in her neighborhood. Among the cast of unforgettable characters is Emily’s father, whose fiftieth birthday party has the adults descending upon the Vidal’s patio; her mother, who has orchestrated the elaborate party even though she and her husband are getting a divorce; and an assortment of eccentric neighbors, high school teachers, and teenagers who teem with anxiety and sexuality and an unbridled desire to be noticed, and ultimately loved. An irresistible chronicle of a modern young woman’s struggle to grow up, The Adults lays bare—in perfect pitch—a world where an adult and a child can so dangerously be mistaken for the same exact thing.
Are there any 2011 debuts you are particularly looking forward to this year? What are you waiting on this Wednesday?
YES! Me too, me too!
ReplyDeleteThis really sounds like a good read. I hadn't heard of it before but will keep my on it now. Great pick!
ReplyDeleteOh, I absolutely want to get this one, too. It sounds really great!
ReplyDeleteHere's mine:
(click on my name)