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The Latecomer

A Novel

by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Narrator Julia Whelan

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Length 16 hours 19 minutes

Language English

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Bookseller recommendation

“The Latecomer is a story about the most dysfunctional family you will ever meet. Salo and his triplets can not relate at all to each other or to strangers and each has a weird obsession that others find hard to understand. Salo at least has a reason for his behavior… a tragic accident during college, for which he has never forgiven himself. Joanna is so preoccupied with trying to create the perfect family that she thinks should exist that she also is totally unconnected to the real world. I loved listening to each character's internal dialogue when faced with something new or unexpected. I normally do not like overly descriptive writing or lots of unnecessary dialogue but their conversations with themselves are hysterical and very educational and enlightening. This, for me, was a wonderful break from the mysteries and thrillers I normally read. The ending to this epic family saga, which included surprises for the reader and most of the main characters, was very powerful and quite satisfying.”
— Nancy • Fiction Addiction

Bookseller recommendation

“This is a big, juicy intelligent page-turner, guilt-free summer reading at its best. Korelitz weaves an entertaining tapestry with familial wealth, art collecting, in vitro fertilization, 9/11, and secrets and betrayals galore. Fast and fun! ”
— Nora • Bookstore1Sarasota

Summary
About the author

"Golden Voice Julia Whelan expertly narrates the unhappy story of the wealthy Oppenheimer family of New York. Whelan narrates as though she were acting out the Oppenheimers' history on stage, playing each character part." -AudioFile on The Latecomer

This program is masterfully narrated by award-winning "Golden Voice" narrator Julia Whelan.

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Plot, Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Latecomer is a layered and immersive literary novel about three siblings, desperate to escape one another, and the upending of their family by the late arrival of a fourth.

The Latecomer follows the story of the wealthy, New York City-based Oppenheimer family, from the first meeting of parents Salo and Johanna, under tragic circumstances, to their triplets born during the early days of IVF. As children, the three siblings – Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally – feel no strong familial bond and cannot wait to go their separate ways, even as their father becomes more distanced and their mother more desperate. When the triplets leave for college, Johanna, faced with being truly alone, makes the decision to have a fourth child. What role will the “latecomer” play in this fractured family?

A complex novel that builds slowly and deliberately, The Latecomer touches on the topics of grief and guilt, generational trauma, privilege and race, traditions and religion, and family dynamics. It is a profound and witty family story from an accomplished author, known for the depth of her character studies, expertly woven storylines, and plot twists.

A Macmillan Audio production from Celadon Books

Fiction

Jean Hanff Korelitz is the New York Times bestselling author of the novels The Plot, The Latecomer, You Should Have Known (which aired on HBO as The Undoing, starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant, and Donald Sutherland), Admission (adapted as a film starring Tina Fey), The Devil and Webster, The White Rose, The Sabbathday River and A Jury of Her Peers, as well as Interference Powder, a novel for children. Her company BOOKTHEWRITER hosts Pop-Up Book Groups in which small groups of readers discuss new books with their authors. She lives in New York City with her husband, Irish poet Paul Muldoon.