Two generations of an American family come of age â one before 9/11, one after â in this moving and original novel from the âintellectually restless, uniquely funnyâ () mind of Nell ZinkNew York Times Book Review
Pam, Daniel, and Joe might be the worst punk band on the Lower East Side. Struggling to scrape together enough cash and musical talent to make it, they are waylaid by surprising arrivals â a daughter for Pam and Daniel, a solo hit single for Joe. As the â90s wane, the three friends share in one anotherâs successes, working together to elevate Joeâs superstardom and raise baby Flora.
On September 11, 2001, the cityâs unfathomable devastation coincides with a shattering personal loss for the trio. In the aftermath, Flora comes of age, navigating a charged political landscape and discovering a love of the natural world. Joining the ranks of those fighting for ecological conservation, Flora works to bridge the wide gap between powerful strategists and ordinary Americans, becoming entangled ever more intimately with her fellow activists along the way. And when the country faces an astonishing new threat, Floraâs family will have no choice but to look to the past â both to examine wounds that have never healed, and to rediscover strengths they have long forgotten.
At once an elegiac takedown of todayâs political climate and a touching invocation of humanityâs goodness, offers daring revelations about Americaâs past and possible future that could only come from Nell Zink, one of the sharpest novelists of our time.Doxology