Strangers at the Feast

by Jennifer Vanderbes

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Book Overview: Strangers at the Feast

On Thanksgiving Day 2007, as the country teeters on the brink of a recession, three generations of the Olson family gather. Eleanor and Gavin worry about their daughter, a single academic, and her newly adopted Indian child, and about their son, who has been caught in the imploding real-estate bubble. While the Olsons navigate the tensions and secrets that mark their relationships, seventeen-year-old Kijo Jackson and his best friend Spider set out from the nearby housing projects on a mysterious job. A series of tragic events bring these two worlds ever closer, exposing the dangerously thin line between suburban privilege and urban poverty, and culminating in a crime that will change everyone’s life.

In her gripping new book, Jennifer Vanderbes masterfully lays bare the fraught lives of this complex cast of characters and the lengths to which they will go to protect their families. Strangers at the Feast is at once a heartbreaking portrait of a family struggling to find happiness and an exploration of the hidden costs of the American dream.

Published to international acclaim, Jennifer Vanderbes’s first book, Easter Island, was hailed as “one of those rare novels that appeals equally to heart, mind, and soul,” by the San Francisco Chronicle. In her second novel, this powerful writer reaches new heights of storytelling. This page-turner wrestles with the most important issues of our time–race, class, and above all else, family. Strangers at the Feast will leave readers haunted and deeply affected.

ISBN-13	9781439166987
ISBN-10	1439166986
Publisher	Scribner
Publication Date	2011-08-16
Edition	Reprint
Language	en
Pages	352
Dimensions	in x in x in
Weight	lbs

Editorial Reviews

“Gorgeously written and uncompromising in its vision, Strangers at the Feast is more than a great novel. It’s an important one.”–Justin Cronin “author of The Passage”

“Jennifer Vanderbes does that rare thing in a novel: she stands back and lets her characters talk. Strangers at the Feast is filled with smart conversation, as well as humor, depth, sorrow and surprise. This is a big and satisfying book.”–Meg Wolitzer “author of The Interestings”

“Compelling. It’s punctuated with sharp observations about class and race, about the winners and losers in America’s power grabs, and about the ways a family can play out a culture’s conflicts.”– “Washington Post”

“Vanderbes has gracefully accomplished the difficult narrative feat of creating a family, which, while emblematic of shifts in the American way of life, is composed of completely realized individuals.”– “Boston Globe”

“A tour de force that traces the long history of two families’ decisions to their inevitable, chilling intersection…A must-read.”– “Book Page”

“Family conflict, fascinating social commentary, and a riveting plot converge in Jennifer Vanderbes’ stunning Strangers at the Feast, a thriller that also raises large and haunting questions about the meaning of guilt, innocence, and justice.”– “The Oprah Magazine”

“Vanderbes has written an absorbing and suspenseful story about the dynamics of family, generational misunderstandings, and the desperate ways one copes with both the arbitrariness of fate and the consequences of one’s choices. “– “Library Journal, starred review”

“Vanderbes sensitively surveys static careers, unhappy wives and fearful adults pressured by stressful times and expectations, culminating in an explosive blast of what-goes-around-comes-around dark irony.”– “Kirkus Reviews”

About the Author

Jennifer Vanderbes

Jennifer Vanderbes is an esteemed American author and a distinguished voice in the realm of contemporary literature. She has an impressive array of professional experiences spanning from English literature and history to creative writing and film. A native of New York City, Vanderbes majored in English Literature at the prestigious Yale University and acquired her Masters in Fine Arts from the Iowa Writers’ Workshop.

Vanderbes is best known for her gripping novels, “Easter Island” and “Strangers at the Feast,” which brilliantly blend historical fact with arresting storytelling and have been translated into 16 languages. Awarded for “Easter Island” with the Borders Original Voices Award, her ability to create vivid, relatable characters and bring worlds to life through intricate plotting makes her works a favorite among discerning readers around the globe.

In addition to her novels, Vanderbes has also proven herself in the sphere of academia with her academic writings translated into various languages and published in notable peer-reviewed journals. Furthermore, her scripts have stood out in the Hollywood film industry, and she is a respected member of the literature and creative writing faculties at Colgate University and the New School. Portraying a multi-faceted and dynamic career, Vanderbes remains a powerhouse of literary and academic brilliance.