Author: Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publisher: Ecco
Publication Date: April 6, 2021
Book Description: Flora Mancini has been happily married for more than twenty years. But everything she thought she knew about herself, her marriage, and her relationship with her best friend, Margot, is upended when she stumbles upon an envelope containing her husband’s wedding ring—the one he claimed he lost one summer when their daughter, Ruby, was five.
Flora and Julian struggled for years, scraping together just enough acting work to raise Ruby in Manhattan and keep Julian’s small theater company—Good Company—afloat. A move to Los Angeles brought their first real career successes, a chance to breathe easier, and a reunion with Margot, now a bona fide television star. But has their new life been built on lies? What happened that summer all those years ago? And what happens now?
With Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s signature tenderness, humor, and insight, Good Company tells a bighearted story of the lifelong relationships that both wound and heal us.
Rating: 3.75 Stars
Review: Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s follow-up to her best selling debut novel The Nest, is worth the the long wait. The Protagonist Flora is the center of this story. When we are introduced to her, her daughter Ruby is graduating from college, and while searching a photograph for her, she finds her husbands lost wedding ring from many years ago in a file cabinet. This find opens a can of worms that nobody was expecting.
Flora and Julian have somewhat of a tumultuous relationship battling lots of demons and have persevered through their marriage. Their closest friends Margot and David, have always seemed to have an idyllic marriage. One thing that they share is their love for Ruby.
In the course of one summer all of there lives are upended by secrets, lies and life changing events. Sweeney writes a thought provoking novel, with a lot of reflection and what would you do scenarios. I really loved being immersed in this world. It is not pretty at times, but Sweeney gave us a real portrayal of people with all the good, the bad and the ugly. If you loved The Nest, I think you will be very happy with this sophomore novel.
Thank you NetGalley and Ecco Books for an Advanced Reader’s Copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Obsessed Bookaholic 