Alternate Side

In Anna Quindlen's novel "Alternate Side," a seemingly perfect neighborhood in New York is turned upside down by an act of violence, exposing the tensions and divisions within the community. The book explores themes of domesticity, city life, and the changing dynamics of families as children leave home and love fades. Quindlen's sharp writing and insightful observations make for an engaging and thought-provoking read.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 304 pages
Publication date: 08 August 2019
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd

For fans of Elizabeth Strout and Anne Tyler, a brilliantly provocative novel from the Richard and Judy Book Club and Number One bestselling author Anna Quindlen. Mesmerizing. Quindlen makes her characters so richly alive, so believable, that it's impossible not to feel every doubt and dream they harbor. . . . Overwhelmingly moving. New York Times. Anna Quindlen follows her highly-praised novel Millers Valley – 'reads like a companion to Elizabeth Strout's Olive Kitteridge, Elisabeth Egan – with a captivating novel about money, class, and self-discovery set in the heart of New York, where the tensions in a tight-knit neighborhood – and a seemingly happy marriage – are exposed by an unexpected act of violence. There are days when Nora Nolan thinks that she and her husband, Charlie, lead a charmed life – except when there's a crisis at work, a leak in the roof at home, or a problem with their twins at college. And why not? Nora has never stopped loving New York, and their street has become a safe harbor, a tranquil village amid the urban craziness. The residents watch one another's children grow up. They trade gossip and gripes, and they maneuver for the ultimate status symbol: a spot in the blocks small parking lot. Then, into their secure, privileged midst comes an unexpected act of violence, and their enviable neighborhood turns into a potent symbol of a divided city. This is a novel of domesticity, of the jarring cacophony of city life and of daily routine and conversation and expectation being suddenly, awkwardly disrupted. It is about the change of dynamics wrought within a family when children leave home and the fading of love within an outwardly settled marriage. Utterly absorbing and impeccably observed, Alternate Side.

Weight: 274g
Dimension: 130 x 197 x 23 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781471174438