The Misfortunes of Family - by Meg Little Reilly (Paperback)

About the Book

"The Bright family is the picture of perfection--attractive, competitive, and a bit badly behaved. As the four adult sons of retired senator John Bright head with their partners to the annual family reunion, they have everything they need--except self-awareness. This year the senator has agreed to let a producer document the reunion at the lake house. Of course, they let their guard down"--Back cover.

Book Synopsis

WHAT BRINGS A FAMILY TOGETHER CAN ALSO TEAR IT APART

The Bright family is the picture of perfection--attractive, competitive and a bit badly behaved. As the four adult sons of retired senator John Bright head with their partners to the annual family reunion, they have everything they need, except self-awareness. This year the senator has agreed to let a producer document the reunion at the lake house. Of course, they let their guard down.

As petty jealousies surface, Philip, the youngest, reveals a surprising personal decision that earns the ribbing--or is it scorn?--of his brothers, JJ, Spencer and Charlie. Then the senator unexpectedly announces his desire for another political run. Not everyone is on board, especially matriarch Patty, who is keenly aware of the toll it will take on their private lives. Suddenly closely held family secrets start tumbling out and keep coming, including the biggest one that will rock this family to the core.

Review Quotes

"Reilly's family creation is all too real and, ultimately, sympathetic. Recommended for all fiction collections." --Booklist

"There's plenty of intrigue around the Brights who, while servants to the people, in many ways are slaves to themselves. Family flaws and confidences start tearing at the fabric of this poised and perfect band....The tension rises, exposing the human frailty inherent in us all."--Bennington Banner

"Meg Little Reilly is a masterful storyteller, moving seamlessly with honesty, humor, and cringing familiarity. I was enchanted with The Misfortunes of Family from the first pages; my delight and astonishment swelled all the way to the surprising shore at its end."--Lisa Carey, author of The Stolen Child

"Secrets are revealed and family bonds tested... in Reilly's character-driven study of American privilege." --Seven Days

PRAISE FOR THE NOVELS OF MEG LITTLE REILLY

"A skillfully wrought tale of atonement in a frame of psychological suspense."
--Booklist, on Everything That Follows

"A novel that stays surprising from beginning to end and refuses to provide easy answers for the moral quandaries at its heart... Riveting."
- Suzanne Berne, author of The Dogs of Littlefield, on Everything That Follows

"Blockbuster fiction at its most thought-provoking and sophisticated."
- Brooklyn Digest, on Everything That Follows

"Smart, taut, and seductive, Reilly's second novel immediately catches you in its grip and doesn't let you go."
--Michelle Hoover, author of Bottomland and The Quickening, on Everything That Follows

"Taut with moral complexity and a subtly building tension, this is the kind of story that punishes you if you dare to put it down."
--Kim Cross, New York Times Bestselling author of What Stands in a Storm, on Everything That Follows

"Timely and terrifying."
--Publishers Weekly, on We Are Unprepared

"An emotional and captivating journey."
--Buzzfeed, on We Are Unprepared