The Nest

　　家家有本難念的經，Plumb家尤其如此。

　　Plumb家的四個兄弟姐妹都很期待收到過世父親為他們留下來的一大筆錢，不過遺囑中有一個特別規定：他們必須在最小的妹妹Melody四十歲時，才能拿到這筆錢。就在還剩幾個月錢就能到手時，大哥Leo卻闖禍了，父親的遺產（他們稱之為「巢」），可能會變成拿來幫Leo擦屁股的經費！

　　四個兄弟姐妹都很希望這筆錢能解決他們的生活困境：Melody身上有一大筆貸款，還要想辦法幫雙胞胎女兒付大學學費。Jack為了保住他的店而傷腦筋。曾經前途看好的小說家Beatrice，似乎無法如期完成她已經快逾期的小說。Leo要怎麼做，才能拯救他這些親愛的兄弟姊妹呢？

　　《The Nest》是一本關於家庭、友誼力量的小說，四個兄弟姊妹每個人的選擇，都一點一滴塑造出他們的命運，他們的未來。

　　Instant New York Times Bestseller

　　“Hilarious and big-hearted, The Nest is a stellar debut.” — People, Book of the Week

　　“Her writing is like really good dark chocolate: sharper and more bittersweet than the cheap stuff, but also too delicious not to finish in one sitting.”— Entertainment Weekly

　　“Humor and delightful irony abound in this lively first novel.”— New York Times Book Review

　　A warm, funny and acutely perceptive debut novel about four adult siblings and the fate of the shared inheritance that has shaped their choices and their lives.

　　Every family has its problems. But even among the most troubled, the Plumb family stands out as spectacularly dysfunctional. Years of simmering tensions finally reach a breaking point on an unseasonably cold afternoon in New York City as Melody, Beatrice, and Jack Plumb gather to confront their charismatic and reckless older brother, Leo, freshly released from rehab. Months earlier, an inebriated Leo got behind the wheel of a car with a nineteen-year-old waitress as his passenger. The ensuing accident has endangered the Plumbs' joint trust fund, “The Nest,” which they are months away from finally receiving. Meant by their deceased father to be a modest mid-life supplement, the Plumb siblings have watched The Nest’s value soar along with the stock market and have been counting on the money to solve a number of self-inflicted problems.

　　Melody, a wife and mother in an upscale suburb, has an unwieldy mortgage and looming college tuition for her twin teenage daughters. Jack, an antiques dealer, has secretly borrowed against the beach cottage he shares with his husband, Walker, to keep his store open. And Bea, a once-promising short-story writer, just can’t seem to finish her overdue novel. Can Leo rescue his siblings and, by extension, the people they love? Or will everyone need to reimagine the futures they’ve envisioned? Brought together as never before, Leo, Melody, Jack, and Beatrice must grapple with old resentments, present-day truths, and the significant emotional and financial toll of the accident, as well as finally acknowledge the choices they have made in their own lives.

　　This is 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. In this tender, entertaining, and deftly written debut, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney brings a remarkable cast of characters to life to illuminate what money does to relationships, what happens to our ambitions over the course of time, and the fraught yet unbreakable ties we share with those we love.

　　Review

　　“The Nest ambles along so beautifully, what a pleasure to read! It’s a wise, funny, compassionate family drama, full of irresistible surprises, witty conversations, and necessary emotional truths.” (Jami Attenberg, author of The Middlesteins)

　　“A masterfully constructed, darkly comic, and immensely captivating tale...not only clever, but emotionally astute. Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney is a real talent.” (Elizabeth Gilbert)

　　“In her intoxicating first novel, Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney has written an epic family story that unfolds in a deeply personal way. The Nest is a fast-moving train and Sweeney’s writing dares us to keep up. I couldn’t stop reading or caring about the juicy and dysfunctional Plumb family.” (Amy Poehler)

　　“Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney delivers an acerbic satire of the leisure class while crafting an affecting human story that embroils us utterly in the fates of the Plumbs...This book keeps its blade sharp and its heart open.” (Matthew Thomas, author of We Are Not Ourselves)

　　“The Nest is a trenchant, darkly funny, and beautiful novel.” (Bret Anthony Johnston)

　　“Humor and delightful irony abound in this lively first novel.” (New York Times Book Review)

　　In her debut, Sweeney spins a fast-moving, often-humorous narrative, and her portrait of each sibling is compassionate even as she reveals their foibles with emotional clarity...assured, energetic, and adroitly plotted...an engrossing narrative that endears readers to the Plumb family for their essential humanity.” (Publishers Weekly)

　　“A generous, absorbing novel...Sweeney’s endearing characters are quirky New Yorkers all...A lively novel. A fetching debut from an author who knows her city, its people, and their heart.” (Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

作者簡介

　　Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney lives in Los Angeles with her husband and children. She has an MFA from the Bennington Writing Seminars.