Book Review - The Nest

The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney is quite a family tale. Lots of dysfunction, but well drawn characters and entertaining lines. You want to wring our bad boy Leo’s neck, and yet he can be so endearing.

Here’s a bit from the Prologue -  As the rest of the guests wandered the deck of the beach club under an early evening midsummer sky, taking pinched appraising sips of their cocktails to gauge if the bartender was using the top-shelf stuff and balancing tiny crab cakes on paper napkins while saying appropriate things…….(fill in more description that is superb)….and here’s the kicker line –

Leo Plumb left his cousin’s wedding with one of the waitresses.

Uh-oh. Let’s just say that Leo is charming, gorgeous, spoiled trouble. He’s the baby of the family, been catered to  and forgiven his whole life. What could go wrong?

Leap forward to find Leo being released from rehab.  The siblings – Melody, Beatrice, and Jack – have called a meeting to discuss the predicament caused by Leo. See, everyone was counting on the nest egg that’s been accumulating. We learn everyone’s problems and debts in some back story. Now it’s simmered and stewed and their mother used the nest egg to save Leo – send him to rehab. Now what? Did they have a choice? Did they want their brother to live, get saved…well, yeah…but NOT with “their” money.

Cover blurb - The Nest is a story about the power of family, the possibilities of friendship, the ways we depend on one another, and the ways we let one another down.

Money can sure mess up a good or bad thing. The author captures family dynamics perfectly, especially siblings – love, hate, frustration, and that undying tie to blood.  I really enjoyed this book and felt as if I knew these people through the author’s prose.  This is a debut novel and I am jealous. Kudos to Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney for leaving The Nest for us to read.