Ask Again, Yes - by Mary Beth Keane

About the Book

Book Synopsis

Named one of the Best Books of the Year by People, Vogue, Parade, NPR, and Elle

"A gem of a book." --Taylor Jenkins Reid, author of The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo

How much can a family forgive?

Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, rookie NYPD cops, are neighbors in the suburbs. What happens behind closed doors in both houses--the loneliness of Francis's wife, Lena, and the instability of Brian's wife, Anne, sets the stage for the explosive events to come.

In Mary Beth Keane's extraordinary novel, a lifelong friendship and love blossoms between Kate Gleeson and Peter Stanhope, born six months apart. One shocking night their loyalties are divided, and their bond will be tested again and again over the next thirty years. Heartbreaking and redemptive, Ask Again, Yes is a gorgeous and generous portrait of the daily intimacies of marriage and the power of forgiveness.

Review Quotes

"I devoured this astonishing tale of two families linked by chance, love, and tragedy. Mary Beth Keane gives us characters so complex and alive that I find myself still thinking of them days after turning the final page. A must-read."
--J. Courtney Sullivan, author of Saints for All Occasions

"This is one beautiful book. I was wowed by Keane's writing and narrative skill--and by what she knows about trouble."
--Stephen King

"A gut-wrenching tale."
--GMA.com

"One of the most unpretentiously profound books I've read in a long time... Keane writes with deep familiarity and precision about the lives of this particular generation... As a writer, Keane reminds me a lot of Ann Patchett: Both have the magical ability to seem to be telling 'only' a closely-observed domestic tale that transforms into something else deep and, yes, universal. In Keane's case, that 'something else' is a story about forgiveness and acceptance... modestly magnificent."
--Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air

"Keane writes with acute sensitivity and her characters are consistently, authentically lived-in. . . . smartly told." -Entertainment Weekly

"Her characters are flawed, thoughtful, hard-working people trying to make sense of ordinary and sometimes impossible events, and dealing with the ripple effects of the past on the present... a thought-provoking family drama and a testament to the power of forgiveness." --Shelf Awareness

"Keane's novel is a rare example of propulsive storytelling with profound insights about blame, forgiveness and abiding love." --People Magazine

"Stunning! An absolutely brilliant, gorgeously-written novel by a fearless writer. Ask Again, Yes is both haunting and hopeful, like life itself. It's the consummate epic family story, one I can't stop thinking and talking about. A must-read for our time." --Lisa Taddeo, author of Three Women

"A profound story... Keane's gracefully restrained prose gives her characters dignity... shows how difficult forgiveness can be--and how it amounts to a kind of hard-won grace." --Vogue

"Beautifully observed. . . . Ask Again, Yes is a tale that will compel readers to think deeply about the ravages of unacknowledged mental illness, questions of family love and loyalty, and the arduous journey towards forgiveness." --BookPage, starred review

"A beautiful novel, bursting at the seams with empathy."
--Brianna Kovan, Elle

"Remarkable."
--Booklist

"Thoughtful, compassionate... illustrates the mutability of memory and the softening effects of time... poignantly demonstrates how grace can emerge from forgiveness."
--Publishers Weekly

"Keane's story embraces family lives in all their muted, ordinary, yet seismic shades... offers empathy and the long view... Tender and patient, the novel avoids excessive sweetness while planting itself deep in the soil of commitment and attachment. Graceful and mature. A solidly satisfying, immersive read."
--Kirkus (starred review)

"Ask Again, Yes is a powerful and moving novel of family, trauma, and the defining moments in people's lives. Mary Beth Keane is a writer of extraordinary depth, feeling and wit. Readers will love this book, as I did."
--Meg Wolitzer, author of The Female Persuasion

"Mary Beth Keane takes on one of the most difficult problems in fiction--how to write about human decency. In Ask Again, Yes, Keane creates a layered emotional truth that makes a compelling case for compassion over blame, understanding over grudge, and the resilience of hearts that can accept the contradictions of love."
-- Louise Erdrich, author of The Round House

"Mary Beth Keane combines Joan Didion's exacting eye for detail with the emotional wallop of Alice McDermott. From the ache of first love to the recognition that the people closest to us are flawed and human, Ask Again, Yes is a moving testament to the necessary act of forgiveness. It is heartbreaking, hopeful, and honest."
--Brendan Mathews, author of The World of Tomorrow

"Mary Beth Keane is at the height of her powers in this novel about the sacrifices we make when we choose to build a life with someone. In Ask Again Yes, Keane tells a story about the fragility of happiness, the violence lurking beneath everyday life, and, ultimately, the power of love. If you've ever loved someone beyond reason, you will love this wise, tender, and beautiful book."
--Eleanor Henderson, author of Ten Thousand Saints

"Mary Beth Keane looks past the veneer that covers ordinary moments and into the very heart of real life. There's a Tolstoyan gravity, insight, and moral heft in these pages, and Keane's ability to plumb the depths of authentic feeling while avoiding sentimentality leaves one shaking one's head in frank admiration. This wonderful book is so many things: a gripping family drama; a sensitive meditation on mental illness; a referendum on the power and cost of loyalty; a ripping yarn that takes us down into the depths and back up; in short, a triumph."
--Matthew Thomas, author of We Are Not Ourselves