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The Smash-Up

Life for Ethan and Zo used to be simple. Ethan co-founded a lucrative media start-up, and Zo was well on her way to becoming a successful filmmaker. Then they moved to a rural community for a little more tranquility–or so they thought.

When newfound political activism transforms Zo into a barely recognizable ball of outrage, and #MeToo allegations rock his old firm, Ethan finds himself a misfit in his own life. Enter a houseguest who is young, fun, and not at all concerned with the real world, and Ethan is abruptly forced to question everything: his past, his future, his marriage, and what he values most.

“Benjamin’s take on midlife marriage and friendship forged by fury is hilarious and uncomfortably close to home. There are no heroes here; I got whiplash trying to figure out who I trusted and what I was rooting for, and the sensation was mesmerizing.”

- The New York Times (Group Text/book club selection)

“Borrow names and plot elements from Edith Wharton’s Ethan Frome. Satirize progressive parenting and education à la Where’d You Go, Bernadette. Then light it all up with the feminist fire ignited by the Brett Kavanaugh hearings—and what do you get? A fun, timely novel that’s unexpectedly full of hope.”

- People

“Benjamin doesn’t remake Ethan Frome so much as she contends with it. “The Smash-Up” is an homage and a critique. …. an astute commentary on the differences between Wharton’s time and ours.”

- The Los Angeles Times

“Sharply funny, perceptive, and surprising at every turn . . . Ali Benjamin is Edith Wharton with fresh eyes.”

—Amy Bloom, author of White Houses

a contemporary reflection on power and sex…Benjamin’s immediately engaging writing captures the complicated emotions and biting humor of these bruising times and their impact on relationships.”

— Booklist, starred review

“With satire and suspense, Benjamin handily encapsulates the incomprehension, sadness, and rage of the Trump era.”

— Publishers Weekly