Christmas in Austin - by Benjamin Markovits (Paperback)

About the Book

"When the four Essinger children gather in Austin for Christmas, they all bring their news.Nathan is hoping to become a Federal judge. Susie's husband has taken a job in England. Jean has asked her boyfriend and boss to meet her family. Paul has broken up with Dana, mother of their son Cal. But their parents have plans, too, and invite Dana to stay, hoping to bring the couple back together. As the week unfolds, the Essingers all face conflicts of loyalty and tensions between old families and new."--Provided by publisher.

Book Synopsis

A luminous family saga from the Booker shortlisted author of The Rest of Our Lives

"Intricately, intimately written, with some wonderful prose and delicate dialogue."--The Guardian
"A loving and nuanced portrait of a family's myriad functions."--The New Yorker
"Utterly absorbing."--Financial Times
"A tour de force."--Sunday Times

When the four Essinger children gather in Austin for Christmas, they all bring their news. Nathan is hoping to become a Federal judge. Susie's husband has taken a job in England. Jean has asked her boyfriend and boss to meet her family. Paul has broken up with Dana, mother of their son Cal. But their parents have plans, too, and invite Dana to stay, hoping to bring the couple back together. As the week unfolds, the Essingers all face conflicts of loyalty and tensions between old families and new.

Rich, intimate, and deeply perceptive, Benjamin Markovits' Christmas in Austin beautifully explores the deep-rooted division between the world we grow up in, and the life we make for ourselves.

Review Quotes

PRAISE FOR A WEEKEND IN NEW YORK

"In tender, compassionate prose and a deftly compressed time-scheme, Markovits glints through desire, ennui, misunderstanding, and love, illuminating one family's life so that it glows collectively like a human panorama." -- Jonathan Lethem

"A book to be savoured .... for its granular evocation of family life. Hugely enjoyable." -- Observer

About the Author

Benjamin Markovits grew up in Texas, London and Berlin. His novels include Either Side of Winter, You Don't Have to Live Like This, A Weekend in New York, and Christmas in Austin. In 2013 Granta selected him as one of their Best of Young British Novelists and in 2015 he won the Eccles British Library Writer in Residence Award and the James Tait Black Memorial Prize. He lives in London.