A family reunites after the death of its patriarch just as a hurricane tears through town in this âsparklingly funny novel about love, power, money, and adult siblings finding the beating heart of what matters most: one anotherâ (People).
On the night of a massive hurricane, three estranged siblings learn that their father is dying. For the first time in years, they convene at their childhood home in upstate New York, where the storm has downed power lines, flooded houses, and destroyed the familyâs antique store.
The Westfalls are no strangers to dysfunction. But never have their lives felt so out of control. Armie is living in their parentsâ basement. In Manhattan, Josef, a sex-addicted techie, is struggling to repair his broken relationship with his daughters. Their sister, Charlie, who works in Hollywood as a publicist for a wayward young actress, just learned that her son has been expelled from preschool. Amid the storm, they come together to plan their fatherâs memorial service, only to learn his dying wishâthey must sell his priceless Magritte painting. As their failures are laid bare, they discover that hope often lurks in the darkest of places. And so, too, can hilarity.
Complete with an irresistible plot and deeply flawed, affectionately rendered characters, Kris DâAgostinoâs âsharp, funny [novel] conveys the disorienting and ever-shifting effects of griefâ (The New York Times) and the unexpected epiphanies that emerge in chaos. This âdarkly humorous portrait of the American family under duressâŚbalances scathing and humorous commentary on the foibles of family with keen insightâ (Publishers Weekly). Perfect for âfans of funny family dysfunction novels like Jonathan Tropperâs This Is Where I Leave You...and Cynthia DâAprix Sweeneyâs The Nestâ (Booklist), The Antiques is a heartbreaking, nimble, laugh-out-loud funny send-up of modern family life.