Wishengrad’s touching, ambitious debut spins a complex web of New York City relationships, as Dory, a doctorate student in linguistics facing tremendous loss, meets Nick, a lawyer specializing in intellectual property, as he saves Eleanor, a retired teacher, from being hit by traffic. The trio bond at the hospital, with Nick and Dory smitten with each other and pledging to care for Eleanor’s cat, Plato, while she recovers. Fearing that the accident in which she lost her mother and sister somehow defines her, Dory at first avoids telling Nick of her recent past, not giving him her full name and limiting self disclosure to a series of flirty questions at their first date. But once he reveals trauma from his own past, Dory feels emboldened to share her truth. Meanwhile, life swirls around them, as their friends, family, and more face their own hard choices and moments of extraordinary connection—some of which will test the new relationship Dory and Nick are building.

The novel is alive with smart chatter, empathetic characterization, and immersive New York (and Paris) detail, as Wishengrad surveys Dory’s social circle, captures their intimate discussions, and updates readers on what everyone’s reading and writing—touchingly, the philosophy-loving Nick and Dory start a book club with Eleanor, while Dory’s surgeon father’s own book project about the resilience of the heart is excerpted at length. The story’s driven by engaging conversation: Wishengrad has chosen a detached third-person perspective, observing the characters and setting down their talk and texts.

The story abounds with incidents and surprises, including much touching material about adoption and surrogacy. Still, while the characters harbor secrets and face occasional betrayals, the plotting, too, is observational rather than suspenseful—chapters check in on characters, seeing how they're doing and who they're talking to, as life goes on. The story’s heart is in their everyday well-being rather than novelistic suspense, which diminishes narrative momentum. Still, this is a warm, humane, often sparkling book.

Takeaway: Smart, touching novel about grief, love, family, and friends in New York and Paris.

Comparable Titles: Joan Silber, Meg Wolitzer’s The Interestings.

Production grades
Cover: B+
Design and typography: A
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A