by Anne Tyler
First published 2016
Kate Battista runs the household for her eccentric scientist father and her younger sister Bunny. She works at a preschool where the children love her but parents complain about her blunt opinions. Her father Dr. Battista faces a crisis. After years of obscurity, his research breakthrough could help millions of people. The problem is Pyotr, his brilliant lab assistant, faces deportation. Without Pyotr, the research dies. Dr. Battista devises a wild scheme to keep Pyotr in the country, but he needs Kate's cooperation. Kate refuses. This request goes too far, even for her demanding father. Yet Dr. Battista and Pyotr launch an absurd campaign to change her mind. Kate must decide whether to rescue her father's work or finally put herself first. This contemporary retelling of Shakespeare's comedy explores family duty, personal freedom, and unexpected romance through Tyler's keen eye for domestic life.
Genres: romance, literary-fiction, contemporary, family-drama
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, family-drama, found-family
Setting: United States
Period: 21st-century
237 pages · Hardcover · Hogarth