AN AUDACIOUS BOOK CLUB PICK

'[Joy] Osmanski’s ear for both sarcasm and sentimentality not only captures but elevates [Mary H.K.] Choi’s balance of mordant wit, emotional depth and bracing storytelling.' — The New York Times

'A sharp, hilarious, unsparing mother-daughter story.' —Rachel Khong, New York Times bestselling author of Real Americans

Bestselling young adult author Mary H.K. Choi debuts a brilliantly observed adult novel about mothers, daughters and the complexity of family set against the backdrop of Hollywood

Stevie cannot escape her mother. Abandoning college plans to work a dead-end job, her days are a purgatorial bore. Many dream of moving to L.A. and into the spotlight, but Stevie can’t wait to move away from it, and her mother’s orbit, to start over.

Moon is many things: an out-of-work actress, a recovering addict, whatever a mistress becomes when she’s widowed, and a mother. Reeling in the aftermath of her lover and TV husband’s death, Moon struggles to process her grief. And the last thing she expects is for Stevie to leave her too.

Now, neither Stevie nor Moon can afford to quit each other. And their cost of living forces them into a glass-walled pool house in the backyard, while their home is rented out to pay the bills. But when Adam, Moon’s former TV son and Stevie’s forever crush, arrives for the funeral, the three are pulled into a messy orbit, moving back into the ‘Big House’ and play-acting a picture-perfect family even as tensions rise and relationships unravel.

Pool House is a course charted through the wilderness of motherhood, a story about the challenges of navigating class, fame, burgeoning sexuality, and grief as two women grapple with what it means to grow up and grow older in Hollywood.

'Joy Osmanski uses expressive characterizations and fluid pacing to guide listeners through the intertwined perspectives of mother and daughter...[and] helps listeners keep track of who's who with distinct vocal textures and carefully calibrated accents.' —Kirkus

'It’s time we recognize Mary H.K. Choi as an auteur.' —Michelle Zauner, New York Times bestselling author of Crying in H Mart

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books