A Friend of the Family

by Lauren Grodstein

Overview

“Unfolds with suspense worthy of Hitchcock . . . Grodstein is a terrific storyteller.” —The New York Times Book Review

Pete Dizinoff, a skilled and successful New Jersey internist, has a loving and devoted wife, a network of close friends, an impressive house, and, most of all, a son, Alec, now nineteen, on whom he has pinned all his hopes. But Pete hadn’t expected his best friend’s troubled daughter to set her sights on his boy. When Alec falls under her spell, Pete sets out to derail the romance, never foreseeing the devastating consequences.

In a riveting story of suburban tragedy, Lauren Grodstein charts a father’s fall from grace as he struggles to save his family, his reputation, and himself.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781616200176
Publisher:	Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill
Publication date:	11/09/2010
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.40(w) x 8.10(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

LAUREN GRODSTEIN is the author of four previous works of fiction, including the New York Times bestselling novel A Friend of the Family, which was a Washington Post Best Book Pick, a New York Times Editor’s Pick, a BookPage Best Book, and an Indie Next Pick. She teaches creative writing at Rutgers University. Her website is www.laurengrodstein.com.

Editorial Reviews

"The moving, complex, beautifully written story of a good man who's slowly losing his grip on his life and his family, A Friend of the Family unfolds with unerring precision." —Kate Christensen, author of Trouble

“With suspense worthy of Hitchcock . . . Grodstein is a terrific storyteller.” —The New York Times Book Review

—The New York Times Book Review

“The novel is spot-on in its depiction of affection and jealousy among longtime friends; boozy suburban bashes; unrequited love; and adjusting to middle age . . . A Friend of the Family beautifully captures the ever-striving angst of parents who will take any step to ensure their children's lives are easier or better. Parents sweating through a teen's college applications would do well to spend some time with Dr. Pete.” —USA Today

—USA Today

“Grodstein’s harsh, honest prose makes this haunting tale worthwhile.” —People

—People Magazine

"Stunning . . . She has written a novel that will leave her readers sitting up, sifting the evidence in the dead of night." —The Boston Globe—The Boston Globe

“Absorbing . . . an incisive diagnosis of aspirational America . . . What Grodstein captures so strikingly is the anxiety of a father's love, that aching affection . . . Grodstein never pushes these characters into caricatures. She has a sharp ear for the discordant tones of conversations between parents and their almost adult children . . . Grodstein is such a perceptive and knowing critic of suburbia that I kept expecting to see her driving slowly up and down my street peering in the windows . . . The last 50 pages of the novel swell to such a gripping climax . . . Horrifyingly plausible and deeply poignant, A Friend of the Family will leave you shaken and chastened—and grateful for the warning.” —Washington Post

—Washington Post

“Gripping . . . [Grodstein] has succeeded in shattering the image of surburban happiness.” —Chicago Tribune

—McSweeney’s

"Involving at every level: character, plot, language. one of the more complicated portraits of a father’s love for his son we’ve ever read . . . highly recommended.”—McSweeney's—People

“Grodstein’s harsh, honest prose makes this haunting tale worthwhile.” —People
—The New York Times Book Review

“Unfolds with suspense worthy of Hitchcock . . . [Grodstein] is a terrific storyteller.” —The New York Times Book Review
—The Washington Post Book World

"Horrifyingly plausible and deeply poignant, A Friend of the Family will leave you shaken and chastened—and grateful for the warning.” —The Washington Post Book World

From the Publisher

Unfolds with suspense worthy of Hitchcock . . . [Grodstein] is a terrific storyteller.” —The New York Times Book Review

The Washington Post Book World

"Involving at every level: character, plot, language. one of the more complicated portraits of a father’s love for his son we’ve ever read . . . highly recommended.”—McSweeney's

People

Gripping . . . [Grodstein] has succeeded in shattering the image of surburban happiness.” —Chicago Tribune

McSweeney’s

Absorbing . . . an incisive diagnosis of aspirational America . . . What Grodstein captures so strikingly is the anxiety of a father's love, that aching affection . . . Grodstein never pushes these characters into caricatures. She has a sharp ear for the discordant tones of conversations between parents and their almost adult children . . . Grodstein is such a perceptive and knowing critic of suburbia that I kept expecting to see her driving slowly up and down my street peering in the windows . . . The last 50 pages of the novel swell to such a gripping climax . . . Horrifyingly plausible and deeply poignant, A Friend of the Family will leave you shaken and chastened—and grateful for the warning.” —Washington Post

Washington Post

"Stunning . . . She has written a novel that will leave her readers sitting up, sifting the evidence in the dead of night." —The Boston Globe

The Boston Globe

Grodstein’s harsh, honest prose makes this haunting tale worthwhile.” —People

People Magazine

The novel is spot-on in its depiction of affection and jealousy among longtime friends; boozy suburban bashes; unrequited love; and adjusting to middle age . . . A Friend of the Family beautifully captures the ever-striving angst of parents who will take any step to ensure their children's lives are easier or better. Parents sweating through a teen's college applications would do well to spend some time with Dr. Pete.” —USA Today

USA Today

Grodstein’s harsh, honest prose makes this haunting tale worthwhile.” —People

The New York Times Book Review

Gripping . . . [Grodstein] has succeeded in shattering the image of surburban happiness.” —Chicago Tribune

Chicago Tribune

"The moving, complex, beautifully written story of a good man who's slowly losing his grip on his life and his family, A Friend of the Family unfolds with unerring precision." —Kate Christensen, author of Trouble

Kate Christensen

"A gripping account of paternal love gone wildly astray."
—Helen Schulman, author of A Day at the Beach

Helen Schulman

"What a wonderful and compelling read. This book is full of insights and honesty, and 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 storytelling are unwavering."
—Elizabeth Strout, Pulitzer Prize winner for Olive Kitteridge

Elizabeth Strout

"Involving at every level: character, plot, language. one of the more complicated portraits of a father’s love for his son we’ve ever read . . . highly recommended.

McSweeney's

“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]

Booklist

“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

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]

Publishers Weekly