Summary of Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney's The Nest is the story of the Plumb siblings, a group of disillusioned Gen X-ers struggling to navigate their lives in the aftermath of 9/11 and the 2008 financial crisis. The novel opens with the estranged Leo Plumb, age 46, at a family wedding in summertime. Leo is avoiding his soon-to-be ex-wife, Victoria, and his family. Then Leo meets 19-year-old Matilda Rodriguez, a cocktail waitress who dreams of becoming a singer. The two ditch the wedding in Leo’s new Porsche. Leo, drunk, high on cocaine, and distracted by Matilda’s hand in his pants, doesn’t see it coming when an SUV plows into the side of his car. The accident leaves Leo intact, but Matilda is not so fortunate. As a result of the crash, she loses her right foot.
In October, Jack, Beatrice, and Melody Plumb, Leo’s three younger siblings, meet their brother…