First published 2016
Veblen finds herself engaged to Paul, a neurologist whose battlefield brain trauma device has caught the attention of the Defense Department. Named after economist Thorstein Veblen, she works as a freelance translator while managing her hypochondriac mother and institutionalized father. Paul grew up with hippie parents who neglected him, and now his medical invention promises fame and fortune through a high-stakes government deal. As Paul gets swept into meetings with pharmaceutical heiresses and defense officials, Veblen keeps peace between their dysfunctional families while planning their wedding. She also maintains an intimate friendship with a charismatic squirrel who seems to understand her better than most humans. The couple's engagement begins to crumble as Paul chases success and Veblen questions whether she can stay true to her antiestablishment values. Set in Palo Alto, their story unfolds against the backdrop of contemporary wars and the clash between new money and old ideals. Veblen must decide what she really wants from love and life.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, found-family, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Palo Alto
Period: Contemporary
430 pages · Hardcover · Penguin Press