White Elephant A Novel
White Elephant, a novel by Julie Langsdorf, is published by HarperCollins Publishers and was released on January 28, 2020. This reprint edition spans 320 pages and is presented in English. The narrative centers around a turf war between neighbors in the small town of Willard Park, sparked by the construction of a large home that disrupts the community’s harmony. As tensions rise, the story explores the impact of these conflicts on the lives of the residents, particularly focusing on the Millers and their interactions with the new homeowner, Nick Cox.
Readers will find a richly woven tale that delves into themes of family life, marriage, and the complexities of city living. The characters navigate personal crises and community disputes, revealing their struggles to connect amidst the chaos. The novel captures the essence of contemporary life, highlighting the challenges of pursuing the American Dream while dealing with interpersonal conflicts. With its humorous and literary approach, White Elephant offers a thoughtful exploration of human relationships and the quest for understanding in a divided community.
Official synopsis Publisher
A turf war between neighbors leads to a small-town crisis in this sharply observed debut novel perfect for fans of Tom Perrotta, Meg Wolitzer, and Celeste Ng.
The white elephant looms large over the town of Willard Park: a newly-constructed behemoth of a home, it towers over the quaint houses, including Allison and Ted Millers’ tiny hundred year old home. When owner Nick Cox cuts down the Millers’ precious red maple–in an effort to make his unsightly property more appealing to buyers–their once serene town becomes a battleground.
While tensions between Ted and Nick escalate, other dysfunctions abound: Allison finds herself compulsively drawn to the man who threatens to upend her quietly organized life. A lawyer with a pot habit and a serious mid-life crisis skirts his responsibilities. And in a quest for popularity, a teenage girl gets caught up in a not-so-harmless prank. Newcomers and longtime residents alike clash in conflicting pursuits of the American Dream, with trees mysteriously uprooted, fingers pointed, and lines drawn.
White Elephant is a tangled-web tale of a community on the verge and its all-too-human inhabitants, who long to connect but can’t seem to find the words. It’s a story about opposing sides struggling to find a middle ground–a parable for our times.
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