The
Grown Ups
A
Novel
By: Robin Antalek
Releasing January 27th, 2015
William Morrow
From
Robin Antalek, author of The Summer We
Fell Apart, comes an evocative and emotionally resonant coming-of-age novel
involving three friends who explore what it means to be happy, what it means to
grow up, and the difficulties in doing both together. Spanning over a decade,
and told in alternating voices, The Grown
Ups explores the indelible bonds between friends and family and the
challenges that threaten to divide them. It is the addictive and moving story
of these old friends who wind up confronting their past in order to find
happiness in their adult lives that make this novel an anticipated winter
release.
Sam
Turner, the summer he turns 15, feels lucky enough to enjoy the unexpected
attention of his friend Suzie Epstein, even though it’s only a few secret
months. For reasons Sam doesn’t entirely understand—and will never question—the
budding relationship is kept hidden from their close circle of friends. But
before their summer tans can even start to fade, Sam’s world unexpectedly
shatters twice: Suzie’s parents are moving away to save their marriage, and his
own mother has suddenly left the house, leaving Sam’s father alone to raise two
sons.
Watching as her parents’ marital troubles escalate, Suzie Epstein takes on the responsibility of raising her two younger brothers while simultaneously planning an early escape to college to seek independence. Though she occasionally thinks of Sam, it’s her oldest friend Bella Spade she finds herself missing. Embarrassed by the destructive wake of her parents as they left the only place Suzie could call home, Suzie makes no attempt to reconnect with the one person she needs. Its years later that a chance meeting with Sam’s older brother Michael will reunite her with both Sam and Bella—finally forcing her to confront her friends, her past and what she left behind.
After
losing Suzie, Bella surprisingly finds her first real love in Sam. But his
inability to commit to her or even his own future eventually drives them apart.
Watching Suzie and Michael as they seem to have worked it all out, Bella’s only
to wonder where she went wrong and how to make it right.
Buy Links
Excerpt
Years ago on a December night in their junior year of high school they had been in Peter Chang’s basement before the winter dance, when Sam had turned to Bella, his eyes as navy as his sweater, and said, “So?”
It began as simply as that, friends who had known each other since they were in diapers. Sam made her happy. Just the sight of him as his cheeks flushed a deep shade of red was all it took. She wanted to kiss him and she knew that he probably wanted to kiss her too. Later, when they had all stumbled from Peter’s basement, wandering through the streets of their neighborhood to the high school, Sam had bumped up against her shoulder and she had found his hand down by his side and grabbed hold of his fingers. He wound them through hers and hadn’t let go, and right then in that moment she had been so sure of everything she had ever wanted.
Since her mother’s funeral, Bella had been stuck on that memory, and she didn’t know why. Maybe it was only the ache of nostalgia. She wanted to lie in bed alone and go over every minute she had spent in Sam’s arms. But then she had noticed the way her mother was looking at her and instead she had crawled into bed with her and whispered about Sam. The mustard light in the room was diffused by the angle of the bathroom door, and she caught a glimpse of her mother’s face in the shadows. She was smiling but there was also something sad in her expression.
REVIEW
A delightful read that drew me in and held me captive, I really enjoyed this book. It wasn't too fast paced, but flowed well, and like a fine wine, every bit of it had to be savored. I loved that this book, although fiction, was so very real. With relatable characters and all the joy and heartache that comes with living life and growing up.
It was great to see how each character, even the minor ones, went from adolescence into adulthood, and how they handled different situations. It was also interesting the way in which lives were interwoven, creating some surprise relationships and friendships.
This book was filled with emotion and had plenty of depth. I felt like I had lived and loved alongside each character, and it was a fantastic journey.
Robin
Antalek is the author of The Summer We Fell Apart. Her nonfiction writing has
been published in literary journals and in several collections, including The
Beautiful Anthology; Writing off Script: Writers on the Influence of Cinema;
and The Weeklings: Revolution #1 Selected Essays 2012-1013. Her short fiction
has appeared in 52 Stories, Five Chapters, Sun Dog, The Southeast Review, and
Literary Mama among others. She lives in Saratoga Springs, New York.
Author Links:
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