The Smart One

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

The author of GIRLS IN WHITE DRESSES turns her gimlet eye upon family relationships. An acutely-observed, off-centre novel about that place you return to when things go staggeringly awry- home The Coffey siblings are having a rough year. Claire has broken up with her fiance and is hiding from her debts. Martha's in a career crisis and even her therapist is losing patience with her. And Max, the baby of the family in his final year of college, is keeping a life-altering secret. Before long, all three of them have moved back home. But things aren't so easy the second time around. Martha and Claire regress to fighting over the shared bathroom while their mother continues to plan Claire's thwarted wedding (unbeknownst to Claire). But it's only a matter of time before Max's secret comes out and changes all of their lives...

Reviews

A low-key drama packed with Girls-style observation and wit -- Emma Hagestadt * Independent *
Witty... A great story about the messiness of modern family life * Marie Claire *
I want to be friends with all of the narrators of this addictive novel * Glamour *
Wit and vibrant characters make The Smart One an engaging exploration of a thoroughly modern family dynamic * People *
A pleasure to read * Daily News *

Author Bio

Jennifer Close was born and raised on the North Shore of Chicago. She is a graduate of Boston College and received her MFA in Fiction Writing from the New School in 2005. She worked in New York in magazines for many years. She now lives in Washington, D.C., and teaches creative writing at George Washington University. Her first novel, Girls in White Dresses, was published in the UK in 2012.