"The Ties that Bind"
Known for her ability to conjure the lives and mores of radically different characters, Claire Messud has been hailed as “a writer of near-miraculous perfection” by the New York Times. Her books include When the World Was Steady, The Hunters, The Last Life, and The Emperor’s Children, which was long-listed for the 2006 Man Booker Prize. About her newest novel, the Miami Herald has said, “The Woman Upstairs . . . solidifies Messud’s place among our greatest contemporary writers.” Bookforum lauded this novel of passion and artistic fulfillment as “an extraordinary novel, a psychological suspense story that will leave you thinking about its implications for days afterward.”
An equally acclaimed new novel, Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings has been hailed by Entertainment Weekly as a “victory,” and the Chicago Tribune called it “genius.” Wide in scope and populated by complex characters who come together and apart in a changing New York City, The Interestings explores the meaning of talent; the nature of envy; the roles of class, art, money, and power; and how all of it can shift precipitously over the course of a friendship and a life. Her previous novels include The Wife, The Position, The Ten-Year Nap, and The Uncoupling.
*There will be no pre-event food service on this night.