Does extreme wealth safeguard against life's problems? Or is more coin in your pocket actually a curse? Don't have it and wouldn't know?
This tension is at the heart of Taffy Brodesser-Akner’s sophomore novel, Long Island Compromise, which is both a deeply humorous satire of the uberwealthy and a meditation on trauma: how it is inherited, our Sisyphean efforts to escape it, and money's effect.
I loved this book. But not as much as I enjoyed speaking with Brodesser-Akner, who is just as witty, generous, and wise as you’d expect from the author of Fleishman Is in Trouble, as well as some of the New York Times’ most legendary profiles. Our conversation explored the Fletchers, the extremely wealthy family at the center of her latest book, and how the kidnapping of the family's patriarch, Carl, seemed to influence nearly every corner of his three kids' lives. But it also expanded beyond the Fletchers, diving deep into how generations grapple with trauma, the brutality of private equity, and more.
My favorite part of our conversation, which I hope you take the time to read, arrived when Brodesser-Akner offered her thoughts on what it really means to be part of a family—and the privilege of having people bear witness to all of life's highs and epic lows. I'll be thinking of our chat for some time.
—Inae Oh
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