Our Short History

"In Our Short History, Lauren Grodstein breaks your heart, then miraculously pieces it back together so it’s bigger–and stronger–than before. This novel will leave you appreciating both the messiness of life and the immense depths of love." — Celeste Ng, author of Everything I Never Told You

Karen Neulander, a successful New York political consultant, has always been fiercely protective of her son, Jacob, now six. She’s had to be: when Jacob’s father, Dave, found out Karen was pregnant and made it clear that fatherhood wasn’t in his plans, Karen walked out of the relationship, never telling Dave her intention was to raise their child alone.

But now Jake is asking to meet his dad, and with good reason: Karen is dying. When she finally calls her ex, she’s shocked to find Dave ecstatic about the son he never knew he had. First, he can’t meet Jake fast enough, and then, he can’t seem to leave him alone.

With just a few more months to live, Karen resists allowing Dave to insinuate himself into Jake’s life. As she tries to play out her last days in the "right" way, Karen wrestles with the truth that the only thing she cannot bring herself to do for her son – let his father become a permanent part of his life – is the thing he needs from her the most. With heart-wrenching poignancy, unexpected wit, and mordant humor, Lauren Grodstein has created an unforgettable story about parenthood, sacrifice, and life itself.

"Karen is a character many will love — determined, flawed, loving, witty.... a poignant and realistic portrait." Kirkus Reviews

"Lauren Grodstein has written a book with such a complicated range of emotion that I can't quite understand how she does it. In highlighting the fragility and depth of the relationship between a parent and a child, Grodstein miraculously makes you love the complexity of this world even as it tears you apart. Our Short History is a novel that will reverberate in your heart long after you finish it." Kevin Wilson, author of The Family Fang

"In Our Short History, Lauren Grodstein breaks your heart, then miraculously pieces it back together so it’s bigger — and stronger — than before. This novel will leave you appreciating both the messiness of life and the immense depths of love." Celeste Ng, author of Everything I Never Told You

"Funny and fast-paced and extraordinarily insightful on every page.... Anyone lucky enough to get roughed-up by Grodstein's devastating, fearlessly honest, often hilarious, gorgeously written novel will exit it changed." Karen Russell, author of Vampires in the Lemon Grove

In Our Short History, Lauren grodstein breaks your heart, then miraculously pieces it back together so it s bigger--and stronger--than before. This novel will leave you appreciating both the messiness of life and the immense depths of love. Celeste Ng, author of Everything I Never Told You

Karen Neulander, a successful New York political consultant, has always been fiercely protective of her son, Jacob, now six. She s had to be: when Jacob s father, Dave, found out Karen was pregnant and made it clear that fatherhood wasn t in his plans, Karen walked out of the relationship, never telling Dave he intention was to raise their child alone.

But now Jake is asking to meet his dad, and with good reason: Karen is dying. When she finally calls her ex, she s shocked to find Dave ecstatic about the son he never knew he had. First, he can t meet Jake fast enough, and then, he can t seem to leave him alone.

With just a few more months to live, Karen resists allowing Dave to insinuate himself into Jake s life. As she tries to play out her last days in the right way, Karen wrestles with the truth that the only thing she cannot bring herself to do for her son--let his father become a permanent part of his life--is the thing he needs from her the most. With heart-wrenching poignancy, unexpected wit, and mordant humor, Lauren Grodstein has created an unforgettable story about parenthood, sacrifice, and life itself."

Lauren Grodstein is the author of the Washington Post Book of the Year The Explanation for Everything and the New York Times bestselling A Friend of the Family, among other works. Her stories, essays, and articles have appeared in various literary magazines and anthologies, and have been translated into several languages. Her work has also appeared in Gourmet, The New York Times, and The Washington Post. She directs the MFA program at Rutgers University, Camden, where she is an associate professor of English.

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