Baby of the Family

A Novel

By: Maura Roosevelt

Narrated by: Saskia Maarleveld

Length: 16 hrs and 51 mins

Publisher's summary

A wry and addictive debut about a modern-day American dynasty and its unexpected upheaval when the patriarch wills his dwindling fortune to his youngest, adopted son - setting off a chain of events that unearths family secrets and tests long-held definitions of love and family.

The money is old, the problems are new.

Meet the Whitbys: an American dynasty once inundated with ungodly real estate wealth and now facing a new millennium of unfamiliar obstacles.

There was a time when the death of a Whitby would have made national news, but when the family patriarch, Roger, dies, he is alone. Word of his death travels from the long-suffering family lawyer to Roger’s clan of children (from four different marriages), and the outlook isn’t good. Roger has left everything to his 21-year-old son Nick, a Whitby only in name - and Nick is nowhere to be found.

Brooke, an older daughter who is both overwhelmingly nostalgic and unexpectedly pregnant, leads the search for Nick, hoping to convince him to let her keep her Boston home. Shelley, the only child from the third marriage, hasn’t told anyone that she’s dropped out of college just months before graduation and is currently working as an amanuensis for a blind architect, with whom she crosses complicated boundaries. And when Nick, on the run from the law after a misguided act of political activism, finally appears at Shelley’s New York home, worlds collide and explode in spectacular fashion.

Soon, the three siblings are faced with the question they have been running from their whole lives: What do they want their future to look like, if they can finally escape their past?

Weaving together multiple perspectives to create a portrait of the American dream gone awry, Baby of the Family is a vivid, absorbing debut about family secrets and how they define us, bind us together, and threaten to blow us apart.

©2019 Maura Roosevelt (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Roosevelt's debut reveals a sure hand, an eye for detail, and a keen sense of the absurd, and her affection for Brooke, Shelley, and Nick shines through as they fumble their way toward wisdom." (Booklist, starred review)

"Baby of the Family is a masterpiece, and gripping, and Maura Roosevelt is the realest of deals. You'll love how big it is, and how thrilling." (Darin Strauss, NBCC-winning author of Half a Life)

“I can't believe Maura Roosevelt's big-hearted, deliciously readable novel Baby of the Family is a debut. This is a wise and soaring book about family secrets and the price of privilege, by a writer with profound insight, immense talent, and a brilliant future.” (Julie Buntin, author of Marlena)

“A poetic and clever saga about a modern day American dynasty, full of intrigue and drama without ever losing its heart. This book is for anyone who loves to read about complicated families - or has one of their own.” (Kathy Wang, author of Family Trust)

Worst book ever

Any good author should be able to come up with alternative words for the f word. This book was disgusting. I would not recommend this book to anyone.

It had potential

The premise of the story definitely had potential. Large group of siblings from multiple mothers, with the same father. Father dies, and leaves his "fortune" to the youngest child Nick - who is actually adopted. You dive into the lives of three of the siblings, Nick who is involved in extremist activist behavior, has gone into hiding to avoid trouble with the law. Brooke, somewhat has it together, just wants to stay in her childhood home, tries to find Nick. Shelly, the closest in age to Nick, a college dropout who has a weird attachment to Nick, hides him from the rest of the siblings, and then gets wrapped up in his activist life. The book dives into exploring these three lives. The intro of these 3 characters was interesting, but then it just stalled, and went on and on and on, but never really moved anywhere. Brook is pregnant, but trying to win back her ex girlfriend, that story droned on. Shelly getting mixed up with the sadistic Mr. Kamal...that story had no point whatsoever, other than being completely disgusting. She never really learned anything (supposedly she grew from the experience) and the story just sort of ended. Nick is angry and disturbed, but you never really understand why, other than his "I'm the adopted one" complex. One big thing bothered me throughout the entire book, they are fighting over the vast fortune of their deceased father....but in all the background stories on the father...we learn he is a failure, and has burned through the vast majority of his money. So what fortune is there left?? The entire book introduced dozens of unnecessary characters and story lines, that added nothing to the book, other than extending the length of the book. The story could have been wrapped up in half the time, and would have made for a more interesting plot. The only reason that it is getting two stars is because Saskia Maarleveld is one of my favorite narrators, and she does a great job here as usual. Overall - skip this one - not worth the credit.

Don’t Play Out loud!

Terrible language and graphic sex that adds nothing to the story. Very disappointed and I could not like Shelly or Nick. Both spoiled, and entitled..