The Latecomer
A quick primer if your book club is going to read The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz. (Which it totally should! This would be a great book club book.)
College — not to mention the ubiquitous ‘Colleges That Change Lives’ guide book — plays a substantial role in The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz. And I think it’s partly to throw some shade on the kind of parenting that pushes an oblivious and naive “Top 20” or bust mentality. (Love to see it.) But more so, it might be because this novel is about transformations (i.e. “changing lives”), whether that be family structures, belief systems, or relationships (usually between family members who can’t stand each other). And the idea of college/university provides a nice thematic jumping off point to discuss transformation. Art — the collection of, the meaning of, and the enjoyment of — looms large in The Latecomer and helps illuminate the ways that some characters might find beauty or order in their own chaotic lives. Other random “characters” include an uber-selective college likely modeled after Deep Springs … and Mormonism. (Discuss.)
[End of random book club discussion points.]
The Latecomer reminded me a bit of Ann Patchett’s family sagas (Commonwealth, The Dutch House) and a bit of Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney’s work (The Nest, Good Company) because of its subtly satirical look at a certain NYC culture. (Tell me The Latecomer’s fictitious Walden School in Brooklyn Heights is *not* modeled after St. Ann’s and its larger-than-life former head of school…)
In other words, this was so incredibly readable and so fun — yet also sad and even tragic at points — but most of all it made me grateful for the perfect kind of book that is thought-provoking while still granting a much-needed momentary escape from a toppling mountain of to-dos.
originally published on instagram