In life, we have pop stars and mega-influencers. On TV, the Roys of Succession and vacationers on The White Lotus. And in book editor Jenny Jackson’s fizzy debut novel, there are the Stocktons. These are the uber-wealthy elites whose lavish homes, extravagant dinners, and enviable wardrobes we masses love to ogle. In Pineapple Street, Jackson conjures a family with deep roots in Brooklyn real estate and the kind of money that’s supposed to be able to buy happiness. Cord, Darley, and Georgiana are the privileged Stockton siblings who, though well-mannered, are often lacking in the self-awareness department, particularly when it comes to their treatment (or in Georgiana’s case, choice) of their romantic partners. Chip and Tilda are the parents struggling through the transition to the back seat. And on the fringes of it all is Sasha, Cord’s wife and, as a middle-class Rhode Islander who Darley and Georgiana refer to as “the gold digger,” the black sheep. It’s the three women who create the core narrative of Jackson’s novel as they navigate their relationships with men and each other, and learn what it truly means to be a family. —Lucy Feldman
Buy Now: Pineapple Street on Bookshop | Amazon
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