Alan Opts Out

Alan Opts Out - Paperback

$35.71
$35.71
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Alan Opts Out
  • Alan Opts Out
Alan Opts Out - Paperback

Alan Opts Out - Paperback

by Courtney Maum
$35.71
$35.71
Format
Paperback · Large Print $35.71 Hardcover $29.00

Book Overview

In this timely and comedic take on ambition, consumerism, and the sticker price of privilege, an ad exec who bombs the biggest pitch of his career decides to forgo capitalism and live off the land of his suburban Connecticut home. Perfect for readers of Rufi Thorpe and Taffy Brodesser-Akner.

Alan Anderson is a powerful advertising executive who has built a successful life and thriving business by making people buy stuff they don't actually need. He's up for the biggest pitch of his career and the account everyone wants, US Dairy: cow's milk sales are plummeting, and the C-Suite wants to see trendy oat milk kicked to the curb. But when an anarchist farmer tanks Alan's presentation, Alan bombs the pitch but ends the day with an epiphany. No longer will he exploit the insecurities of others in the service of capitalism. Alan is opting out.

This development is anathema to his wife, Vivian. She's just a few positive affirmations, a swimming pool, and an exacting series of social tests away from finally becoming part of the elite women's club, the Queen Annes, in their adopted town of Greenwich, Connecticut. As if contending with a daughter who wants to write plays (!) and another who has an unnatural empathy with animals isn't enough to manage, she can only watch as Alan moves into their backyard playhouse to live off the land and--worse--spend time with the family. But instead of shocking the neighbors, Alan's commitment to a less-is-more lifestyle seems to be catching on. Could everyone want what Alan's not selling?

Funny, sexy, intelligent, and poignant, Alan Opts Out is the most ambitious novel to date by celebrated author Courtney Maum, acclaimed for her stories that tackle big, chewy subjects of our post-modern America with wit and heart.
ISBN9780316607780
Author Courtney Maum
PublisherLittle Brown and Company
GenreLiterature
FormatPaperback
PublishedJune 2026
LanguageENG- English
Pages482
Weight1.0 lb
Target AudienceAdults
Print SizeLarge Print

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More by Courtney Maum

Alan Opts Out

Alan Opts Out - Hardcover

Alan Opts Out - Hardcover

By Courtney Maum

About Courtney Maum

COURTNEY MAUM is the author of the novels Costalegre, Touch, and I Am Having So Much Fun Here Without You and the chapbook Notes from Mexico. Her writing and essays have been widely published in such outlets as BuzzFeed, The New York Times, O, The Oprah Magazine, Interview, and Modern Loss. She is the founder of the learning collaborative The Cabins, and she also works as a product namer and publishing consultant from her home in Connecticut. Find out more at courtneymaum.com.

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