Returns and Exchanges

This gimlet-eyed saga from Whitaker (The Animators) traces the rise of a family-owned chain of discount stores in Kentucky. Fran and Fred Taylor grew up in an impoverished rural part of the state in “standard issue deprivation.” By 1979, they’re in their early 40s and are raising four kids in Lexington while running Baker-Taylor’s, a discount department store that’s positioned to expand. Though they’re viewed as gauche by their old-money neighbors, they’re proud of their “do-it-on-my-own money.” As their stylish cousin Jack once said, “What Fred lacked in worldview, he made up for with hunger.” But as the family settles into upper-middle-class life, Fred and Fran’s bond begins to fray. To Fran’s surprise, she can’t stop daydreaming about Wendy, one of the store’s new general managers. Fred, plagued by anxiety about how others view him, achieves his dream of being invited to join an exclusive fraternal organization but hides it from Fran. Their four children, ranging from middle school– to college-age, become increasingly disillusioned by their family’s growing fortune. Whitaker expertly juggles the expansive cast of characters and elicits sympathy for all of them even when they exhibit the worst parts of themselves. It’s an openhearted epic of the American dream and the bargains struck to achieve it. Agent: Bonnie Nadell, Hill Nadell Literary. (May)