Jackpot Summer

Friedland’s (The Most Likely Club) latest is a fast-paced romp through the lives and relationships of four grown siblings who are all at a crossroads. Their doting mother, who called them “the Fabulous Four,” died of lung cancer a year ago. Their widowed father is moving to Florida and needs their help to pack up and sell their beloved Long Beach Island house. Each sibling is facing challenges in their own relationships and careers, when the bombshell of some of them winning millions in the Powerball lottery explodes into their lives. Told through the eyes of each sibling in turn, Friedland’s novel shows how jealousies and unresolved family issues follow the siblings into adulthood and are brought into stark relief by their windfall. Each sibling reacts to the lottery win differently and must learn that money cannot save them from their problems. In ways that are painful to live through, they have to rethink their relationships and their lives. They discover the strength of their bonds with friends, spouses, and particularly family and come to lean on one another to end up stronger.