by A. S. King
First published 2019
The Hemmings grandchildren carry strange burdens. One hauls a snow shovel wherever he goes. Another deals marijuana through a drive-thru window. Their grandmother Marla claims withholding the family's seven-figure fortune will help them "thrive," but thriving looks more like dysfunction. The money came from selling the Pennsylvania potato farm that built their family, and now Gottfried and Marla hoard their wealth while their adult children struggle and their teenage grandchildren find bizarre ways to cope. GPS coordinates lead to a dirt mound hidden in New Jersey woods. A flea circus operates from a trailer. Someone takes first-class flights to Jamaica between cancer treatments. The family's polite suburban surface conceals something rotten underneath. As the scattered grandchildren reconnect with each other, they start digging into what really happened to create their family's fortune. The terrible price of the Hemmings name becomes clear, and this new generation must decide whether they can break free from the toxic legacy their grandparents built.
Genres: fiction, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, toxic-legacy
Setting: Jamaica, New Jersey, Pennsylvania
Period: 21st-century
392 pages · Paperback · Text Publishing
Content warnings: emotional-abuse