From the author of the critically acclaimed Laura & Emma comes a The Love Affairs of Nathaniel P. for our times: Kate Greathead's razor-sharp but big-hearted excavation of millennial masculinity, The Book of George.
If you haven't had the misfortune of dating a George, you know someone who has. He's a young man brimming with potential but incapable of following through; noncommittal to his long-suffering girlfriend, Jenny; distant from but still reliant on his mother; funny one minute, sullenly brooding the next. Here, Kate Greathead paints one particular, unforgettable George in a series of droll and surprisingly poignant snapshots of his life over two decades.
And yet, it's hard not to root for George at least a little. Beneath his cynicism is a reservoir of fondness for Jenny's valiant willingness to put up with him. Each demonstration of his flaws is paired with a self-eviscerating comment. No one is more disappointed in him than himself (except maybe Jenny and his mother). As hilarious as it is astute and singular as it is universal, The Book of George is a deft, unexpectedly moving portrait of millennial masculinity. Kate Greathead is the author of Laura & Emma. Her work has appeared in The New Yorker, the New York Times, and on NPR's Moth Radio Hour. She lives in Brooklyn with her husband, the writer Teddy Wayne, and their children.
Blair Baker's narration effectively frames the story of a privileged young man who is struggling to see the world beyond himself--even if he's not aware of his own limitations. Listeners observe the development of George, an inauspicious male in his 20s who continues the unfulfilled promises of his youth and lacks critical awareness of the people close to him. He survives on a potent mix of luck a
