About this item
Highlights
- "[A] well-crafted and cunning debut novel...a testament to the resilience of the human spirit.
- Author(s): Robin Antalek
- 384 Pages
- Fiction + Literature Genres, Family Life
Description
About the Book
Antalek's debut is as haunting as it is gripping--a story of the events, both mundane and dramatic, that tear a family apart; and of the often inexplicable love that binds a family together.--Diana Spechler, author of "Who by Fire."Book Synopsis
"[A] well-crafted and cunning debut novel...a testament to the resilience of the human spirit."
--Publishers Weekly
The Summer We Fell Apart by newcomer Robin Antalek is a poignant, funny, and totally engrossing novel of family disasters and sibling rivalry--and it marks the debut of a pitch-perfect new voice in contemporary American fiction. Antalek's tale of the trials and many tribulations of the hapless and more than a little dysfunctional Haas family recalls the work of Sue Miller and Ann Beattie--and is a wonderful introduction to a superb writer whose short fiction has been nominated for numerous awards, including the Glimmer Train's Family Matter's and Short-Story Award and the Bellingham Review's Tobias Wolff Award for Fiction.
From the Back Cover
The children of a once-brilliant playwright and a struggling actress, the four Haas siblings grew up in chaos--raised in an environment composed of neglect and glamour in equal measure. When their father dies, they must depend on their intense but fragile bond to remember what it means to be family despite years of anger and hurt. These brothers and sisters are painfully human, sometimes selfish, and almost always making the wrong decisions, but their endearing struggles provide laughter through tears--something anyone who's ever had a sibling can relate to.
Review Quotes
"Robin Antalek's debut is as haunting as it is gripping--a story of the events, both mundane and dramatic, that tear a family apart; and of the often inexplicable love that binds a family together. THE SUMMER WE FELL APART is a beautiful, memorable novel." -- Diana Spechler, author of Who By Fire
"THE SUMMER WE FELL APART is a thoroughly entertaining and often heart- breaking romp through the chaos and comforts of a large and extraordinary family." -- Jessica Anya Blau, author of THE SUMMER OF NAKED SWIM PARTIES
"Full of the best kind of heartache, The Summer We Fell Apart is an unforgettable, big-hearted debut that will make you want to pick up the phone and call your own brother or sister." -- Will Allison, author of What You Have Left
"THE SUMMER WE FELL APART tells the story of the four Haas kids.... With every chapter the story grows richer and clearer, as does your appreciation for their humor, their burdens and their devotion to each other." -- Juliette Fay, author of Shelter Me
"The most moving aspect of this very moving novel may be its author's relationship to her characters. By portraying each sibling's muddled life with tenderness, respect, and clear-sightedness, author Antalek proves herself to be the ultimate good parent." -- Martha Moody, bestselling author of Best Friends
"The Summer We Fell Apart is a bright, big-hearted novel about the complexities and heartaches of the way we live now." -- Elizabeth Benedict, author of Almost and Mentors, Muses & Monsters: 30 Writers on the People Who Changed Their Lives