Summary
Long Island Compromise by Taffy Brodesser-Akner is a novel about the Fletchers, an affluent Jewish family living in the suburb of Middle Rock, Long Island, during the 1980s. The story focuses on the kidnapping of the patriarch, Carl Fletcher, a terrifying event that exposes the complexities of generational trauma within the family. The novel contrasts the American Dream with the lasting effects of historical events, exploring identity and resilience amid privilege.
Plot
Long Island Compromise starts with the 1980 kidnapping of Carl Fletcher, a wealthy businessman, from his Long Island home. This event sets the stage for the Fletcher family's ongoing struggles with the impact of the ransom demand and its lasting emotional effects. Although Carl returns after a brief captivity, the trauma continues to influence the family's future.
The Fletcher children respond differently to their inherited trauma. Beamer, the eldest, is a drug-addicted screenwriter, his work shaped by kidnapping themes. Nathan, the middle child, faces anxiety and poor decisions, feeling trapped by his chaotic upbringing. Jenny, born after the kidnapping, distances herself from her family's wealth by supporting workers’ rights. However, she remains affected by hidden family trauma, struggling to form connections.
As the family’s financial foundation, built by Carl's father, Zelig, a Holocaust survivor, starts to crumble, their wealth contrasts with Zelig’s escape from Nazi-occupied Poland. The Fletchers’ prosperity, initially a safeguard, leads to deep, enduring dissatisfaction.
Characters
Carl Fletcher: The family's patriarch, Carl survives a kidnapping in 1980. The trauma makes him emotionally distant and affects his roles as a father and businessman.
Ruth Fletcher: Carl’s wife, Ruth oversees the household's emotional well-being and supports her husband’s mental health after his abduction. Her focus on financial stability creates conflict with her daughter, Jenny,.
Nathan Fletcher: The middle son, Nathan struggles with debilitating anxiety and the burden of family expectations. As a lawyer, he avoids confrontation, raising broader questions about legacy and the influence of past traumas.
Beamer Fletcher: The eldest son, Beamer works as a Hollywood screenwriter, dealing with addiction and chaos. His struggles with substance abuse highlight the novel’s theme of destructive cycles from inherited trauma and privilege. He seeks meaning beyond his family’s influence.
Jenny Fletcher: The Fletcher’s youngest child and only daughter, Jenny tries to establish her own identity within her family’s shadow. As a graduate student union organizer at Yale, she balances her ideals and upbringing, representing the quest for individuality amid familial pressure.
Phyllis Fletcher: Carl's mother, Phyllis embodies an older generation rooted in denial and survival. Her death forces the family to confront hidden truths and unresolved financial and emotional issues.
Marjorie: Carl's sister, Marjorie is volatile and plagued by substance abuse. Her instability reflects the wider dysfunction in the Fletcher family.
Mickey Mayer: Carl’s childhood friend turned adversary, Mickey jeopardizes the Fletchers’ stability through financial deceit. He represents greed and moral decline.
Ike Besser: Carl’s longtime foreman, whose act of betrayal complicates the family’s sense of loyalty and trust.
Setting
In Long Island Compromise, Middle Rock, a fictional affluent Long Island suburb, serves as the setting for an examination of the American Dream. The suburban environment and its expectations limits spontaneity, creating tension between the Fletchers' aspirations and their desire for authenticity. The family’s Jewish identity adds complexity, influencing how they use class and wealth to integrate socially while masking their cultural heritage and minority status.
Themes
Wealth and class dynamics
Long Island Compromise addresses wealth and class dynamics. The Fletcher family is depicted as wealthy, and their affluence acts as both a shield and a burden. A Holocaust survivor, Carl's father, Zelig, arrives in America with only a formula for polystyrene and builds a highly successful company. For the Fletchers, wealth serves as protection against past chaos and uncertainty. However, their prosperity also exposes their vulnerabilities and insecurities.
Jewish identity
In Long Island Compromise, Taffy Brodesser-Akner explores the connection between trauma and Jewish identity, raising questions about legacy and belonging. A Long Island family whose wealth originates from a Holocaust-survivor patriarch, the Fletchers both affirm their Jewishness and struggle with its legacy. The novel features Jewish traditions such as b’nei mitzvah ceremonies and addresses issues like interfaith marriages while infused with an underlying anxiety that reflects a distinctly Jewish tone.
Family trauma
In Long Island Compromise, family trauma is a central element. The story starts with Carl Fletcher's abduction in 1980, a significant event that impacts future generations. This kidnapping, along with the family's collective repression, contributes to their dysfunction. Carl's children, Nathan, Beamer, and Jenny, experience this trauma in unique ways. Nathan deals with hypochondria and anxiety, which lead him to jeopardize his legal career by attempting a bribe. Beamer channels his struggles into screenwriting focused on themes of kidnapping, while also engaging in substance abuse. Jenny rejects her family's values by giving up her inheritance to work as a labor organizer, separating herself from the wealth tied to the family's distress. Their internal conflicts arise from a family history of denial, highlighted by Carl’s mother’s statement, “This did not happen to you.” The Fletcher siblings' experiences show how unresolved trauma affects lives.
Quick facts
Long Island Compromise opens in 1980 with the kidnapping of wealthy factory owner Carl Fletcher, setting the stage for exploring complex family dynamics and generational trauma.
Taffy Brodesser-Akner was inspired to write the novel by the real-life kidnapping of a family friend, Jack Teich, which involved one of the highest ransom amounts in the US at the time.
The novel explores themes like extreme wealth, family dysfunction, inherited trauma, self-identity, and Jewish-American cultural nuances.
Published in 2024, Long Island Compromise was a national bestseller and selected by The New York Times and Oprah Daily as one of the best books of the year.
Broesser-Akner incorporates the Jewish folklore concept of a dybbuk to represent unresolved family traumas.
The Fletcher family's wealth originates from a polystyrene (Styrofoam) factory, symbolizing both comfort and hidden toxicity.
The story spans multiple decades, focusing on the kidnapping's lasting psychological impacts on Carl Fletcher’s children, Nathan, Beamer, and Jenny.
Long Island Compromise critiques societal structures by depicting wealth as both a protective barrier and an emotional burden that exacerbates self-destructive behaviors and familial tensions.
Elements of Jewish-American culture are central to the book, affecting both the family's traditions and their struggles with assimilation, identity, and trauma linked to Holocaust memories.
Drawing on her background in celebrity profiling for The New York Times, Broesser-Akner's writing style is characterized by sharp observations, satirical humor, and empathetic portrayals of flawed characters.
Long Island Compromise features unexpected family secrets and plot twists, notably a revelation about the identity of the kidnapper.
Award-winning narrator Edoardo Ballerini performs the audiobook version, along with the author herself.
Apple TV+ has purchased the rights to adapt Long Island Compromise into a limited series.
TV adaptation
Apple TV+ has purchased the rights to adapt Long Island Compromise into a limited series, with Brodesser-Akner involved in screenplay writing. As of July 2025, casting and production details have yet to be announced.
About the author
Taffy Brodesser-Akner is a journalist and author known for exploring human emotions and societal themes. She began her writing career with The New York Times and GQ, specializing in celebrity profiles combining empathy with commentary. Her debut novel, Fleishman Is in Trouble (2019), became a critically acclaimed bestseller and was adapted into an Emmy-nominated FX limited series on Hulu, starring Claire Danes, Jesse Eisenberg, Lizzy Caplan, and Adam Brody. Her latest novel, Long Island Compromise (2024), examines themes of wealth, identity, and generational trauma in an affluent Jewish family. Through her detailed character portrayals and insights into internal conflicts, Brodesser-Akner has emerged as a significant voice in contemporary literature.
