<b>For fans of Jennifer Egan, Jonathan Franzen, Lorrie Moore, and Curtis Sittenfeld,<i>Among the Ten Thousand Things</i> is a dazzling first novel, a portrait of an American family on the cusp of irrevocable change, and a startlingly original story of love and time lost.</b><br><b>&nbsp;</b><br>Jack Shanley is a well-known New York artist, charming and vain, who doesn’t mean to plunge his family into crisis. His wife, Deb, gladly left behind a difficult career as a dancer to raise the two children she adores. In the ensuing years, she has mostly avoided coming face-to-face with the weaknesses of the man she married. But then an anonymously sent package arrives in the mail: a cardboard box containing sheaves of printed emails chronicling Jack’s secret life. The package is addressed to Deb, but it’s delivered into the wrong hands: her children’s.<br>&nbsp;<br>With this vertiginous opening begins a debut that is by turns funny, wise, and indescribably moving. As the Shanleys spin apart into separate orbits, leaving New York in an attempt to regain their bearings, fifteen-year-old Simon feels the allure of adult freedoms for the first time, while eleven-year-old Kay wanders precariously into a grown-up world she can’t possibly understand. Writing with extraordinary precision, humor, and beauty, Julia Pierpont has crafted a timeless, hugely enjoyable novel about the bonds of family life—their brittleness, and their resilience.<br>&nbsp;<br><b>Advance praise for <i>Among the Ten Thousand Things</i></b><br>&nbsp;<br>“This book is one of the funniest and most emotionally honest I’ve read in a long time.”<b>—Jonathan Safran Foer</b><br>&nbsp;<br>“Remarkable . . . Pierpont displays not only wisdom, but real tact as a writer, knowing how much to say, how much to leave out, how much to imply.”<b>—Colm Tóibín</b><br>&nbsp;<br>“Every page of this gorgeous novel contains such joys that you won’t want to stop reading for anything.”<b>—J. Courtney Sullivan</b><br>&nbsp;<br>“Poignant, surprising, and fiercely intelligent,&nbsp;<i>Among the Ten Thousand Things</i>&nbsp;is about the sturdiness and tremendous delicacy of the bonds between parents and children. Don’t miss this powerful debut.”<b>—Megan Abbott</b><br>&nbsp;<br>“A vicious and enchanting portrait of a fragmenting family that will leave you hungry for whatever Julia Pierpont does next.”<b>—Courtney Maum</b><br>&nbsp;<br>“Sharply observed and deeply illuminating, <i>Among the Ten Thousand Things </i>marks the beginning of what is sure to be a brilliant career.”<b>—Elliott Holt</b><br>&nbsp;<br>“Why aren’t there more first or second or seventh novels like <i>Among the Ten Thousand Things</i>? That’s what I asked myself as I read—actually, devoured—Julia Pierpont’s debut. My conclusion: Very few writers, at any point in their lives, can produce prose of the sort you’ll find here.”<b>—Sean Wilsey</b><br>&nbsp;<br>“<i>Among the Ten Thousand Things</i> succeeds in being both heartbreaking and funny: It’s a wry, sly look at a privileged New York upbringing and the ultimate loneliness at the heart of it.”<b>—Mary Gordon</b><br>&nbsp;<br>“The perennial theme of marital infidelity is given a brisk, insightful, and sophisticated turn in Pierpont’s impressive debut. . . . This novel leaves an indelible portrait of lives blown off course.”<b>—<i>Publishers Weekly</i>(starred review)<br></b><br>“A treat for fans of Jonathan Franzen, Jami Attenberg, and Emma Straub . . . shows off an exciting new voice on the literary landscape.”<b>—<i>Library Journal</i> (starred review)</b><br><br><br><i>From the Hardcover edition.</i>