THE NEST by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney
If you’re looking for a character driven novel that’s easy enough to read, this might be a good choice.
The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney is a novel written in 2016, set in New York City. It is the story of four siblings who are to be the beneficiaries of a trust fund set up by their father, which has matured significantly and will be distributed on the 40th birthday of the youngest sibling.
Events occur and their mother uses the trust to resolve issues that come out of that event, without informing the adult children. The fallout is significant, as each sibling has financial challenges that they believed would be resolved on their financial distribution, only to realise the money won’t be coming as expected.
The story is about the relationships between the siblings in the fall out of their changed expectations, particularly with the eldest brother Leo. They also battle in their relationship with their mother, respective partners and children.
I think the idea for this story is an interesting one and while not all the characters are unlikeable, they each have their flaws which makes it hard to root for their success. One character, Melody, is so determined to be a different type of mother to her own that becomes a suffocation to her daughters and, no doubt, her husband, which can be equally as damaging as an emotionally absent mother. Jack is selfish in his own way and tends to hurt those he loves most. Bea is the most likeable of the siblings, and probably the one readers will want to see get the money she was to benefit from. Leo….well, I just think Leo is kind of an asshole, and no attempt to redeem him was going to work for me. As it happens, my gut instinct about him was on point.
This was an easy to read novel and one I liked, but I didn’t love. The execution of the story is good, but when it finished I was left a little unsatisfied - ultimately, I wasn’t sure why this was a story worth telling. That said, I did finish it, so maybe I liked it more than my consciousness wants to admit.
If you’re looking for a character driven novel that’s easy enough to read, this might be a good choice.