This is the story of a family in middle America, two parents and three kids, completely normal—with one major exception. Daughter Rosemary is our narrator, who insists on page 1 that she needs to skip the beginning of this story and start in the middle instead. We soon learn that when Rosemary's sister left, everyone else fell apart, and they're still picking up the pieces. Don't read the description, just start reading.

From the publisher: "In California's central valley, five women and one man join to discuss Jane Austen's novels. Over the six months they get together, marriages are tested, unsuitable arrangements become suitable, and love happens. With her eye for the frailties of human behavior and her ear for the absurdities of social intercourse, Karen Joy Fowler has never been wittier nor her characters more appealing. The result is a delicious dissection of modern relationships. Dedicated Austenites will delight in unearthing the echoes of Austen that run through the novel, but most readers will simply enjoy the vision and voice that, despite two centuries of separation, unite two great writers of brilliant social comedy."

I’m still recommending Karen Joy Fowler’s 2013 novel We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves for lovers of compulsively readable literary fiction, so I can’t wait to sample her newest work, an epic exploration of John Wilkes Booth (yes, THAT Booth!) and his fascinating family. Fathered by a formerly celebrated and now reclusive Shakespearean actor, John and his siblings grow up in rural Maryland as the Civil War approaches. Later, the Booths leave farm life behind for theatrical fame—and eventually, the shameful notoriety of their brother’s actions. This new historical novel is richly detailed and darkly observant, perfect for fans of Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell.