"Believe the hype. Fleishman Is in Trouble is even better than we were promised."
— The Washington Post
"...a maddening, unsettling masterpiece..."
— NPR
Now available in paperback!
For press requests, contact Carrie Neil at: cneill@penguinrandomhouse.com
Fleishman Is In Trouble was long-listed for both the
National Book Award and the Carnegie Medal, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle John Leonard Prize, long-listed for The Woman’s Prize, short-listed for The British Book Award, named a New York Times Notable Book of 2019, named one of the most addictive books of the year by Kirkus, one of funniest books by Bookpage, and was one of Kirkus Reviews' Best Fiction of the Year picks.
Praise for Fleishman Is In Trouble
“Firing on all circuits, from psychological insight to cultural acuity to narrative strategy to very smart humor. Quite a debut!”
- Kirkus Review (starred)
“Shrewd and delectable, this would be a novel to savor, if it were possible to put it down.”
- Booklist (starred)
“Blisteringly funny, feverishly smart, heart-breaking and true. Fleishman Is In Trouble is an essential read for anyone who’s wondered how to navigate loving (and hating) the people we choose."
– Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, author of The Nest
“Fleishman Is In Trouble is a marvel, full of shrewd observations, barbed wit, and deep insight. Taffy Brodesser-Akner reveals the twisted hearts of her characters—and the twisted soul of contemporary America—with an eye that is at once pitiless and full of compassion for our human foibles. This is a remarkable debut novel from one of the most distinctive writers around."
– Tom Perrotta, author of Mrs. Fletcher
"This glorious debut has the humor of Maria Semple, the heart of Meg Wolitzer, the lustiness of Philip Roth, and a voice that is pure. It’s wild and wonderful and goes in so many directions, each with profundity – my favorite thing that novels can do. How does one's favorite journalist become one's new favorite novelist? With this book."
– Emma Straub, author of The Vacationers
“From its opening pages, Fleishman Is in Trouble is shrewdly observed, brimming with wisdom and utterly of this moment. Not until its explosive final pages are you fully aware of its cunning ferocity. Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s debut is that rare and delicious treat: a page turner with heft.”
— Maria Semple, author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette?
“Here is a portrait of modern love and marriage that is blisteringly funny, searingly accurate, windingly painful and—ultimately—both heartbreaking and humane. Fleishman is In Trouble reminds me of the great novels of the 1960s and 1970s—just the sort of thing that Philip Roth or John Updike might have produced in their prime (except, of course, that the author understands women.) Taffy Brodesser-Akner can write the pants off any novelist out there. She's a star, and this book is a work of utter perfection.”
— Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat Pray Love