Review: The Nest, by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

The Nest, by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

HarperAudio - 2016
Fiction - Literary
Audiobook
Narrated by Mia Barron

11 Hours, 6 Minutes

The Nest is an enjoyable book, but for me, not a particularly memorable story. 

The book centers around the clearly dysfunctional Plumb family, particularly the four siblings Leo, Jack, Melody and Bea. 

Their father had created what he planned to be a small trust fund for the siblings to split in their mid-lives, to be paid when Melody - the youngest, turned forty. He meant the amount to be a modest mid-life boost, but that tidy trust fund, through good investments and good luck, turned into much more than than the modest amount he had planned.

Each of the siblings is counting on their share of "the nest" to solve problems created by their own poor decisions. Months shy of the trust fund payout, Leo gets in an accident while behind the wheel of his car, drunk and in the company of a 19 year old waitress. The nest is drastically depleted in order to pay for the fallout of the accident and now the siblings are dealing with their own emotional and financial fallout as their expectations may not be met. 

While the story is good, it is somewhat predictable as it follows the typical formula of "counting chickens before the eggs hatch" followed by a journey self-discovery when forced to face the possibility of fewer chickens. The characters aren't particularly likable, they generally come off as spoiled and difficult to sympathize with. When you don't really like any of the characters, you might like the book, but it's hard to love the book. 

Narration was performed by Mia Barron with a clear voice and  pleasant cadence and tone, as well as good range of character and emotion.

Happy Reading,

Christine