Who We Are Now - by Lauryn Chamberlain (Paperback)

About the Book

"Writer-to-watch Lauryn Chamberlain's sophmore novel, a paperback original, is a poignant, incisive story about life's "Sliding Doors" moments; it explores the disproportionate impact that the seemingly small choices we make in our youth have on the rest of our lives, jumping boldly through the years in alternating points of view, moving at the same unforgiving pace as do those precious, confusing years between college and real life. This is a novel of epic friendship. We meet Clarissa, Rachel, Nate, and Dev in their last year at a liberal arts college, where these four friends are preparing to take their first steps into adulthood. Then they do. We follow them for fifteen years, through their twenties and then their thirties as their lives change and complicate, as do the ties between them. Two find fame, two sacrifice idealism for a secure paycheck. Two are locked in a will-they-won't-they holding pattern. Some of them mature into fabulous human beings. Others lose their footing, and let their friends down with catastrophic results. This novel is a meditation on life and friendship, and exemplifies Lauryn's talent for writing utterly relatable stories and lovable characters. Who We Are Now examines way that our early relationships encourage us forward and sometimes hold us back. It questions how the seemingly small decisions we make in our youth send us down wildly diverging paths. In other words, this is a perfect novel for the current zeitgeist, as we all assess and reassess our priorities in a fast-changing world"--

Book Synopsis

One of Skimm's Books We Couldn't Put Down This Year

Four friends. Fifteen years. Who We Are Now is a story of Sliding Doors moments, those seemingly small choices of early adulthood that determine the course of our lives.

It is 2006 and Rachel, Clarissa, Dev, and Nate are best friends, seniors on the eve of their college graduation. Their whole lives are before them, at once full of promise and anxiety. Bound to one another as they are, they imagine their closeness will last forever--but things change as they take their first steps away from one another and into adulthood.

Each year is told from one character's point of view, and in that way, we stride swiftly through their lives. These four friends feel their twenties and thirties flying by, and suddenly small moments fast become regrets or unexpected boons, decisions they'll spend years wishing they could undo and choices that come to define them. As the foursome endure professional setbacks, deep loss, and creative success, fortunes shift and friendships strain--and it will take a tragic turn of events to bring them together again.

Who We Are Now is a poignant story of epic friendship that jumps boldly through the years, moving at the same unforgiving pace as does that precious, confusing time between college and real life. This novel is perfect for readers who adore tales of friendship, explorations of the second coming of age moment that arrives in our thirties, and fans of Meg Wolitzer's The Interestings or Dolly Alderton's Ghosts.

Review Quotes

Praise for Who We Are Now
"An unforgettable novel, populated with recognizable characters, packed with nuanced emotion, and replete with the intimately tender, relatable style that has fast become Lauryn Chamberlain's trademark. Every lifelong friendship is its own epic tale, and Chamberlain gives these stories their due with a level of care I found incredibly moving, all while expertly weaving a diverting narrative I couldn't put down!"--Marissa Stapley, New York Times bestselling author of Lucky

"Who We Are Now transported me back to my college years and twenties in New York: I could hear the thumping club music, see the rows of cubicles, and feel each character's yearning for the day everything falls into place. Chamberlain beautifully captures the intimacy of friendship and the ache of nostalgia. Propulsive, poignant, and stylish, this is a must-read."-Hannah Orenstein, author of Playing With Matches and Meant to be Mine

"Chamberlain masterfully portrays the complexities of friendships as they grow and change over time...Engaging and beautifully written, this story provides a poignant and insightful tale of friendship, love, and resilience. It is a must-read for anyone seeking an immersive and compelling story of young adulthood."-Booklist

"A brilliantly paced coming-of-age novel, Who We Are Now stars four memorable characters who each remind me of someone I know and love. Chamberlain beautifully captures how our relationships, dreams, and priorities shift over time, and is unflinchingly candid when describing the sticky mixture of envy and pride we feel when our friends succeed before us. This book is brimming with heart and wisdom; I'll admit I wept several times during the last few chapters, so don't say I didn't warn you!"--Caitlin Barasch, author of A Novel Obsession

"Who We Are Now is an honest, insightful look at the ways in which friendships, first formed in college, continue to expand and contract through the years. Chamberlain aptly demonstrates that who we are now is, in fact, a composite of our past histories and our future desires. A relatable and engaging read."--Karen Winn, author of Our Little World

"Who We Are Now is the compulsively readable coming-of-age tale following four friends in the early aughts of New York throughout their most formative decades. Chamberlain masterfully invokes the wistful nostalgia of that tender time post-grad, on the precipice of real life, when we're brimming with the promise of the future, yet swathed in self-doubt. Chamberlain's sophomore novel is a brilliant meditation on modern friendship and sophisticatedly captures how the micro decisions we make on the brink of adulthood can have macro consequences on who we ultimately become."--Louise Claire Johnson, author of Behind the Red Door

About the Author

Lauryn Chamberlain was born and raised in Michigan. She studied journalism and French at Northwestern University and then moved to New York City, where she worked for several years as a journalist, freelance writer, and content strategist (sometimes simultaneously). She currently lives in Toronto.