Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney worked as a freelance copywriter before enrolling in writing classes as she approached the age of 50. Her advisor in the Bennington MFA program, Texas-born acclaimed author Bret Anthony Johnston, recognized brilliance in one of her short stories and encouraged her to expand the story into a novel. This effort morphed into The Nest, a debut novel that garnered a seven-figure advance, and spent more than 12 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.
With warmth and humor, The Nest dissects the juicy dynamics of the Plumb family, composed of four dysfunctional adult siblings and a distant mother who holds the purse strings to their inheritance. When the oldest sibling, Leo, maims a teenaged girl in a drunk-driving crash, the mother uses money from “The Nest” to pay for the girl’s medical needs and to keep her quiet. The family dynamics become increasingly complicated —and resentment mounts—as each sibling crafts his or her own way to get Leo to pay back the money he owes them. New York City provides the perfect backdrop for the deliciously neurotic Plumb siblings. Sweeney is currently writing the screenplay for the film adaptation.
“A masterfully constructed, darkly comic, and immensely captivating tale. . . . Not only clever, but emotionally astute.” —Elizabeth Gilbert