Zink, Nell

This bleakly humorous and insightful coming-of-age story will appeal to readers of absurdist, character-driven fiction. Recommend to fans of Sally Rooney, Meg Wolitzer, and Claire Messud, as well as to readers of Zink’s previous works, particularly Nicotine.

Here, Zink (Mislaid) seems to follow her characters where they want to go rather than imposing an orchestrated plot on them. Thus, what starts as a gritty “sex, drugs, and rock and roll” novel turns into a family drama about generational conflict, then a story about our current sociopolitical moment. For these engaging characters, the attempt to find meaning and purpose is often detoured when the universe has other plans. [See Prepub Alert, 2/18/19/.]

Zink, whose novel Mislaid entered the literary scene amid effusive praise, writes with tongue firmly in cheek. Her jaded worldview, leavened by a well-honed sense of the absurd, reveals itself as she skewers millennials and boomers alike for failing to live up to their once tightly held convictions. [See Prepub Alert, 4/18/16.]

From the author of The Wallcreeper, this novel of a family zigs and zags across lines of sexuality and race...