The Altruists

A Novel

By: Andrew Ridker

Narrated by: Mark Bramhall

Length: 11 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

A New York Times Editors' Choice

"[An] intelligent, funny, and remarkably assured first novel.... [Andrew Ridker establishes] himself as a big, promising talent.... Hilarious.... Astute and highly entertaining.... Outstanding." (The New York Times Book Review)

"With humor and warmth, Ridker explores the meaning of family and its inevitable baggage. The Altruists may not paint the prettiest picture, but it's a relatable, unforgettable view of regular people making mistakes and somehow finding their way back to each other." (People Magazine's "Book of the Week")

A Real Simple Best Book of the Year (So Far)

Named a most anticipated book of 2019 by The Millions and PureWow.

A vibrant and perceptive novel about a father's plot to win back his children's inheritance.

Arthur Alter is in trouble. A middling professor at a Midwestern college, he can't afford his mortgage, he's exasperated his much younger girlfriend, and his kids won't speak to him. And then there's the money - the small fortune his late wife, Francine, kept secret, which she bequeathed directly to his children.

Those children are Ethan, an anxious recluse living off his mother's money on a choice plot of Brooklyn real estate; and Maggie, a would-be do-gooder trying to fashion herself a noble life of self-imposed poverty. On the verge of losing the family home, Arthur invites his children back to St. Louis under the guise of a reconciliation. But in doing so, he unwittingly unleashes a Pandora's box of age-old resentments and long-buried memories - memories that orbit Francine, the matriarch whose life may hold the key to keeping them together.

Spanning New York, Paris, Boston, St. Louis, and a small desert outpost in Zimbabwe, The Altruists is a darkly funny (and ultimately tender) family saga that confronts the divide between baby boomers and their millennial offspring. It's a novel about money, privilege, politics, campus culture, dating, talk therapy, rural sanitation, infidelity, kink, the American beer industry, and what it means to be a "good person."

©2019 Andrew Ridker (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"Ridker meticulously peels away the scabs that have grown over the wounds of the surviving Alters, laying bare, with compassion and piercing wit, the long-simmering antagonisms that haunt both father and children. At the same time, he gently hints at a way forward for this decidedly imperfect, but oddly appealing, family. A painfully honest, but tender, examination of how love goes awry in the places it should flourish." (Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

"[A] smashing debut.... Ridker tells his tale with humor, insight, and depth, making this a novel that will resonate with readers." (Publishers Weekly)

"Beautifully written, with witty, pitch-perfect dialogue and fascinating characters, Ridker's impressive, deeply satisfying debut is an extraordinarily insightful look at a family broken apart by loss and struggling to find a way back to each other and themselves." (Booklist)

"Ridker psychoanalytically peels back layers of time to reveal the truth and, in doing so, crafts wholly complex, three-dimensional characters we come to love. As we root for them, Ridker brings up larger questions about what it means to live a good life, both for others and for ourselves." (Camille Jacobson, The Paris Review Daily, Staff Pick)

Unlikable characters who finally redeem themselves

Took a while to see where this was going but ultimately came to a very funny and satisfying end.

Not worth the time

I kept hoping for the story to get better but unfortunately it never did. I wish I had those hours of listening back.

don't bother

Never fear, even an entire family of self absorbed people will end up ok in the end.

I kept waiting

I bought this book because of the good reviews. I did not enjoy it. I kept waiting for something to happen, or for some enlightening idea to shine through. I was disappointed. The only reason I finished was because I truly thought it would redeem itself.

Too Much Angst

I didn't finish this. The book is really well written, almost an homage to Saul Bellow and Philip Roth.

But the plot was slow and too introspective and in the long run, I didn't really give a hoot what happened to any of the characters.

So I moved on,