Good Kids - by Benjamin Nugent (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The critically acclaimed author of American Nerd makes his fiction debut with this romantic tragicomedy about a teenage boy and girl who discover his dad is having an affair with her mom. For readers of Chad Harbach and Jennifer Egan, and fans of filmmakers like Noah Baumbach.

At fifteen, Josh Paquette and Khadijah Silverglate-Dunn catch Josh's father and Khad ijah's mother kissing in a natural foods store. As both of their families fall apart, the teenagers sign a pact never to cheat on anyone, ever. They have no problem keeping the vow--until they meet again at twentyeight, both struggling with career and identit y, and both engaged to other people.

Acclaimed author Benjamin Nugent's fiction debut is a hilarious, sad, handsomely plotted story of love and class. Stylistically adventurous but always accessible, Nugent trains a keen ear on the vernaculars of Generation Y and the baby boomers, as the young and middle-aged try to decide what parenting, background, and loyalty mean in an America struggling to redefine virtue.

Review Quotes

""Good Kids" is the work of a writer with a great gift for comic timing. There's so much life and love in this book, all its failure, all its accidental glory. A superb first novel, as funny as it is ultimately moving." --Peter Orner, author of "Love and Shame and Love"

"Benjamin Nugent's "Good Kids" is a literary romantic comedy, a post-sentimental sentimental education, and a cautionary tale for both divorced parents and their kids who vow never to be like them. It is terrifically smart and funny--and catchy, like a hit song. Reader, pace yourself." --Michelle Huneven, author of "Blame"

"This dazzling first novel is many things at once: an incisive examination of class and politics, a richly comic portrayal of humiliation and self-loathing, and a guided tour of love in its varied forms. Benjamin Nugent's writing is alive with intelligence, authenticity, and angst. Fans of Jonathan Franzen, you just may have found your new favorite writer." --Curtis Sittenfeld, author of "Prep" and "American Wife

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