cover image The Exiles

The Exiles

Allison Lynn. Little A/New Harvest, $24 (336p) ISBN 978-0-544-10210-1

Lynn’s latest (after Now You See It) is an introspective domestic drama of a family battered by the rising cost of living. Wall Street M&A man Nate Bedecker, who earns a relatively low salary by Wall Street standards, can no longer afford to live in Manhattan. Priced out of the Upper East Side apartment he shares with girlfriend Emily, who worked in advertising before the birth of their 10-month-old son, they head to Newport, R.I., where prospects await. But the new life they’d hoped for gets off to a bad start when their Jeep—containing all their possessions—is stolen, leaving them stranded at a luxury hotel with only $84 in cash. Over the next four days, Emily is racked with guilt over another theft—her own—of a painting belonging to her affluent New York friends. And Nate fears he may have inherited the Huntington’s disease gene from his estranged father and passed it on to his son. When New York City police arrive with questions about stolen art, and Nate’s father gets in a serious car crash, the weekend takes a tragic turn, forcing the exiles to finally face their issues. Lynn’s new novel rings with truth and compassion. Agent: Lane Zachary, Zachary Shuster Harmsworth. (July)