The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney

The Nest will be published on March 22, 2016 by Harper Collins publishers.

The Nest is a bit of a wild and honestly written portrayal of a very dysfunctional family and other characters connected to the Plumb family in one way or another. I almost stopped reading half way through the book, but I had to know what was going to happen to each of the characters. “The Nest” is the name that the Plumb family refers to their rather large inheritance which they will receive when the youngest sibling, Melody, turns 40, a date which is on the near horizon. However, the Plumb matriarch decides to dip into the inheritance to bail out Leo Plumb, the brother that is always in trouble but everyone loves. As you can imagine, this doesn’t set well with the other three siblings who have been counting the chickens before they hatch with the Nest and have it mostly spent before they receive it. Money can’t buy happiness…but can family ties lead to happiness?

The author did a brilliant job of keeping the story moving forward while switching between past and present, and also switching back and forth between many different characters, including all 4 adult, Plumb siblings. Other characters who played a big role were the two Plumb grandchildren, Jack Plumb’s husband, Melody Plumb’s husband, Leo Plumb’s girlfriend, and Bea Plumb’s boss. It was interesting how there were other characters who weren’t really connected to the Plumb family as much, but their stories were told throughout the course of the story as well. There really isn’t any suspense, heavy romance, or comedy in this story. It is mainly a story of family and the crazy relationships between family and friends. I’m glad I finished the book, and really enjoyed it.