Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney's debut novel, The Nest, which reputedly sold for a seven-figure sum, explores a dysfunctional American family and is expected to be one of the books of the year. The novel is due in March.
Years of simmering tensions finally reach tipping point for The Plumb family one afternoon in New York City as Melody, Beatrice, and Jack Plumb meet up to confront their charismatic, but feckless older brother, Leo. who is just out of rehab. Months beforehand, he drove while drunk with a nineteen-year-old waitress passenger on board. There was a serious accident, which now threatens the Plumbs' joint trust fund, The Nest of the title, which is mere months away from delivery.
The legacy had been intended by their deceased father to be a bit of a help-out to his children, but the Plumb siblings have watched The Nest’s value rise dramatically along with the stock market. Moreover, the siblings have been counting on the money to solve a number of financial problems.
HarperCanada's HarperAvenue imprint, and Harper UK's The Borough Press, will jointly publish The Nest with Ecco Press in March.
The promotional publicity describes The Nest as a story "about the power of family, the possibilities of friendship, the ways we depend upon one another and the ways we let one another down."
With a Master of Fine Art from Bennington College in Vermont to her name, the author lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children.
North American cover art for The Nest
UK cover art for The Nest
