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A Novel
by Kate Greathead
From the author of the critically acclaimed Laura & Emma comes a The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. for our times: Kate Greathead's razor-sharp but big-hearted excavation of millennial masculinity, The Book of George.
If you haven't had the misfortune of dating a George, you know someone who has. He's a young man brimming with potential but incapable of following through; sweet yet noncommittal to his long-suffering girlfriend; distant from but still reliant on his mother; charmingly funny one minute, sullenly brooding the next. Here, Kate Greathead paints one particular, unforgettable George in a series of droll and surprisingly poignant snapshots of his life over two decades.
Despite his failings, it's hard not to root for George at least a little. Beneath his cynicism is a reservoir of fondness for his girlfriend, Jenny, and her valiant willingness to put up with him. Each demonstration of his flaws is paired with a self-eviscerating comment. No one is more disappointed in him than himself (except maybe Jenny and his mother). As hilarious as it is resonant and as singular as it is universal, The Book of George is a deft, unexpectedly moving portrait of one man―but also countless others.
"[A] riveting and wry story of wasted potential...it's a testament to Greathead's skill that he becomes a character worth rooting for. This is a revelation." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A mordantly wry examination of one disgruntled man's life...Greathead's portrayal of an aggrieved white man struggling to find his place in the world is as much a portrait of an unsuccessful artist as a young man as it is a portrait of our times." ―Kirkus Reviews
"Greathead is an excellent witness to her characters' exceedingly human conditions and a deadpan comedian of manners, and The Book of George flows like an open tap." ―Booklist
"Greathead's delicious deadpan delivery, with its understatement and ironic humor, is addicting." ―BookPage
"This book is a knockout. Mesmerizing from page one, it's Stoner meets Mrs. Bridge meets George, the millennial male we can't look away from. Kate Greathead has gifted us with a character for the ages and a novel that is sure to be swooned over and endlessly discussed." ―Maria Semple, New York Times bestselling author of Where'd You Go, Bernadette
"Kate Greathead is an astonishingly talented writer. Every sentence in this novel glitters with insight and humor. A perceptive, funny and tender portrayal of the complicated relationships that define our adulthood." ―Alison Espach, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding People
"The Book of George is not only an excellent novel, it's also one of the most interesting books I've read in a long time. Engaging from the first page, it nevertheless gains momentum as it progresses, deftly building toward something larger and unexpected, a portrait of a character―and to an extent a generation―that's as convincing as it is moving." ―Adelle Waldman, bestselling author of The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. and Help Wanted
This information about The Book of George was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Kate Greathead is the author of Laura & Emma. Her work has appeared in the New Yorker, the New York Times, and on PRX's The Moth Radio Hour. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, the writer Teddy Wayne, and their children.
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