Matthew Klam Book order (chronological)

Every year, Rich Fischer leaves his family to teach cartooning at a summer arts conference. Amy O’Donnell, a mother of three married to a domineering Wall Street titan, is a student in narrative painting. Last year, they shared a passionate moment at the conference, bonding over their life disappointments, and spent the winter exchanging heated texts. Upon returning, Amy breaks her wrist during the annual softball game, and Rich, feeling guilty and longing to comfort her, impulsively buys a bracelet that depletes his family’s savings intended for his daughter’s preschool. He then assists Amy through a challenging medical situation, leading to an unexpected seduction. Rich realizes that wild sex can occur between two people who know each other just enough to feel safe, yet don’t share a home. The ensuing events unravel their lives in an unforgettable tale of love and infidelity, set in a New England fishing village with vibrant sunsets and The Sea Breeze Motel. The conference attracts a diverse group of creatives, fostering intense connections among participants, who are drawn out of their private lives into a chaotic closeness. This narrative explores themes of midlife alienation, erotic pleasure, and the complexities of family and monogamy amidst the beauty of children in a confusing domestic landscape.

How do you cope when your best friend is transformed from a clever, decent bloke to a fat, supercilious git? Or when a roast chicken suddenly becomes the symbol of your greatest shame? This tale looks at young men and women trying to get on with their lives in the face of such questions.