4 Heartwarming New Books About Family, Togetherness, and Other Hazards
We read for pleasure of course, but also to help us understand the world around us—and what subject is more nuanced, complicated, and—ok, downright frustrating—than family? Summer may be the perfect time for fun, frivolous trips to the beach, but it’s also a great time for family road trips, family reunions, family barbeques, and of course, family drama. Since we all know that the best and most entertaining family drama is the kind that involves other people’s families, we’ve gathered a collection of great new summer reads that offer a welcome escape from your own familial disputes—and that just might give you a few insights into the mysterious (and wonderful) ties that bind us to our loved ones.
Big Little Lies, by Liane Moriarty
Moriarty’s newest novel since her hugely popular book The Husband’s Secret starts out with a bang, featuring a disturbing murder in an unlikely place—during a school trivia night. The story behind it involves the lives of three women and their families: Madeline, whose ex-husband has just moved into town—with his new wife; beautiful, enviable Celeste with her perfect family and boisterous twin boys; and melancholy single mother Jane, who tries to hide her concerns about her odd young son. With humor and insight, Moriarty sheds light on the darker sides of family life, illuminating the truths lurking behind the innocuous facades we put up to keep our skeletons in their closets. As the tension heightens, you’ll be on the edge of your seat waiting to discover the series of events that led up to the tragedy in the opening act.
A Perfect Life, by Danielle Steel
Beautiful redhead Blaise McCarthy has it all by many standards—an enviable career in the world of TV news, a towering list of professional accomplishments, fame, fortune, and a gorgeous apartment. But all is not as it seems in Blaise’s world. For one thing, her personal life is nearly nonexistent. For another, her beloved daughter, Salima, blind since childhood due to Type 1 diabetes, has been living a sheltered life in a year-round boarding school for many years—but now, she’s being forced to move in with her mother. Salima’s new caregiver, Simon, refuses to go along with the status quo, challenging both Blaise and Salima’s expectations for themselves and each other. Blaise also faces a new and unsettling professional difficulty, in the form of a hotshot young anchorwoman who is gunning for her job at the network. As their previously stable lives are thrown into turmoil, Blaise and her daughter must confront the question of what really makes a perfect life.
Nantucket Sisters, by Nancy Thayer
Maggie and Emily are best friends who first met on a Nantucket beach one childhood summer—and have been in each other’s lives ever since. Although their backgrounds are very different—Maggie’s upbringing has been much more modest, and Emily’s mother would prefer that she associate with a more upscale crowd—they are able to see past those differences. Even when Emily falls in love with Maggie’s brother, Ben, and the two girls head down very different life paths, they manage to remain close. That is, until the appearance of the devastatingly charming Wall Streeter Cameron Chadwick threatens the very foundation of their friendship. Nantucket Sisters tells a bewitching story of young love, the mistakes we make, and the solace we find in enduring friendships.
Lucky Us, by Amy Bloom
Two half-sisters, aspiring star Iris and her devoted fan, Eva, leave Ohio in the 1940s to journey across America in search of fame and adventure. As the two careen through Hollywood and then travel to New York, they cross paths with a plethora of madcap individuals, reinventing themselves along the way even as they form relationships with new (and eccentric) friends who come to feel like family. Bloom’s lyrical prose brims with arresting truths and she weaves a story filled with hilarious—and heartbreaking—situations, beautiful historical details, and unforgettable characters.
What are your favorite novels about family and friendship?