Is it just too soon? I feel drawn to Pandemic novels, but get bogged down in them. It was certainly a navel-gazing time, but isn’t quite playing out as entertainment for me.

Do you enjoy character driven stories that bring many different characters together? Are you a fan of stories set in one centralized location and seeing how the characters in this setting connect with each other? Do you like well written literary fiction that brings social issues to the forefront while also presenting a moving story? Then this book is one for you!

I was not sure at all what to expect when I started this book, but as the story unfolds and the complexity of the characters deepen around it, I was enthralled.

Regina Porter is a powerful voice in literary fiction.

“All the Rich People Have Gone Away” by Regina Porter

Thank you to the publishers at Random House a chance to read “All the Rich People Have Gone Away” by Regina Porter.

A novel that dissects the missing white woman trope to get at the layers of complexity between three different families in New York City in 2020 as facets of daily life closed down in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Darla Jacobson goes missing. Her mother gets a private investigator to get to the bottom of Darla’s disappearance, and unravels a whole host of other secrets. Theo Harper, Darla’s husband and last person to see her alive, struggles with his own identity especially as Darla is pregnant and he contemplates being a new father.

Ruby Black, Darla’s best friend, struggles to come out of her friend’s shadow as a black woman and as someone who is trying to keep her restaurant open with her husband. The novel goes into great detail about Ruby’s family life, including the loss of her uncle to addiction and growing up in Brooklyn.

Xavier, our youngest POV character, is a high school student attempting a sense of normalcy in the midst of the pandemic, even as his mother is struggling for her life.

If it sounds like that’s a lot to juggle in one novel, that’s because it is. “The Rich People Have Gone Away” is at its best when it explores the dynamics of Black life in New York City, especially through the perspectives of Xavier and Ruby.

The books spends an incredible amount of time with its white characters, and while it’s trying to dissect the “Missing White Pregnant Woman” syndrome at its core, it ends up giving so much airtime to Darla, her mom, and other white characters that to me it misses the line between meta-satire (eg people in privileged positions are always used to taking up space literally and figuratively so this book reflects that phenomenon) and cognitive dissonance.

Why do I need to know that much about Theo’s sex life? What do I as a reader gain from chapters on Darla’s love of the bassoon or her misadventures throughout the novel? And why oh why are Darla and Ruby still friends at the beginning of the novel? The novel centers so much on Darla that Xavier’s life and family feel a little like an afterthought in a way that’s a detriment to novel.

What this novel nails on the head was the weird uncanniness of the first months of lockdown, especially in New York City.

Overall, this book is well written but perhaps just wasn’t for me.

The novel, "The Rich People Have Gone Away," by Regina Porter is a mesmerizing tapestry that weaves together the lives of a diverse group of New Yorkers. Set against the backdrop of Brooklyn in 2020, this kaleidoscopic narrative explores themes of betrayal, race, privilege, and human connection.

Theo Harper and his pregnant wife, Darla, escape to their summer cottage upstate to wait out the lockdown. But not everyone in their upscale Park Slope condo building shares their privilege. Xavier, the teenager in the Cardi B t-shirt, and Darla's best friend Ruby, along with her partner Katsumi, remain behind to save their Michelin-starred restaurant. As tensions rise, Theo reveals a long-held secret during an upstate hike on the aptly named Devil's Path. When Darla disappears after an argument, he becomes the prime suspect.

Porter masterfully intertwines past and present, drawing us into the lives of ordinary New Yorkers. We glimpse fleeting connections in the building lobby, renewing old bonds and reevaluating distances. The search for Darla brings families and friends together, but it also exposes inequities that persist in our ever-changing city.

The novel pulsates with hope, love, and the reminder that no one truly leaves the past behind. Porter's prose is both lyrical and incisive, capturing the essence of each character's struggle. Her exploration of race and privilege is unflinching, yet she infuses the narrative with moments of grace and redemption.

"The Rich People Have Gone Away" is a triumph! It’s a powerful story that resonates long after the final page. Porter's ability to illuminate the complexities of human relationships is nothing short of remarkable. Whether you're a seasoned reader or a newcomer to her work, this novel is a must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Hogarth for a temporary e-ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Rich People Have Gone Away was not at all what I was expecting, however that is absolutely a positive and made this book so much more enjoyable to read. I was interested in the plot description, but what I loved about this book is aside from the main point which is the woman who goes missing in 2020, is how each character's backstory is deeply examined so we have a clear picture of how they know each other and what informs their respective interactions. I also loved that a character who intially seems peripheral ends up with a fully fleshed out story line as do his family members. This of course reflects how in real life people who we may consider peripheral and not notice in our own lives do of course have their own universe and story just like we do, and even if we are the main character in our perpspective, we are a minor character in someone else's.

Regina Porter accurately, thoughtfully, and vividly captures the uncertainty and the terror from the first few months of COVID in New York City and how this time period was experienced differently depending on one's race, class, and even sex. Clearly COVID was not the "great equalizer" as some claimed since, as the title of this book indicates, only those with means could flee the city to try to escape the virus. Thousands of essential workers remained in the city, on the job, and many other working class people remained in the city with dwindling resources as they lost income through furloughs and closures.

This book covers all aspects of the pandemic ranging from the racial disparities in disease outcomes, the varying stages of how people were worried about transmission, lockdowns, to PPP loans and the debate over "who deserved them." Having lived in NYC during this period, it was certainly both a throw back and interesting to approach this topic in general since lots of media tends to ignore that it even happened.

The pandemic is not the only major event discussed as September 11th features very prominently as well as a pivotal and life changing moment for almost all of them. This is one of the only books set in NYC that I have read which addresses September 11th in a manner that is not gratituous, and while this is not explicitly stated to my recollection, it seemed to me that September 11th was part of the plot as a way to invoke another time in NYC that everyone was bound together in a life altering event.

The direction the main plot took was incredibly interesting and never would I have seen it coming. The ending also was very well done by ending on what we all know comes next in 2020 and being so subtle in how it references that. I appreciate how Porter approachs issues of white privilege, missing white woman syndome, male privilege, and other social issues by seamlessly weaving them into the plot and, similar to how she approaches September 11th, not having these topics seem like gratuitous add ons.

Having read this I definitely want to check out Porter's other work.

Many thanks to Random House/Hogarth and to NetGalley for this ARC to review. This review is my honest opinion.

Engaging and immersive, with richly drawn characters. A recommended purchase for collections where lit-leaning contemporary fic is popular.

The premise of this one was intriguing, so I was looking forward to reading it. Ultimately, it was just.... fine? I'm super interested to start seeing novels set during the pandemic come out, and read how various authors choose to tell those stories. I just couldn't connect with the characters in this one enough to really care what happened. Thanks to the publisher and author for the free book in exchange for my honest review.

I thought this was really well written and embraced the modern aspects of city living society faces today. the dialogue was hilarious and realistic and I felt most of the characters were well fleshed out.

I really wanted to love this book. It sounded great. There is just something in the writing that I couldn’t get past. It felt a bit disorganized when switching characters and didn’t flow for me. Almost too wordy in some areas. It had potential, just wasn’t my cup of tea.

Thank you to Net Galley for giving me a copy of this book.

I requested this book because i felt like the premise was captivating and different from what i normally read. Needless to say, i was quite disappointed in the book. I disliked everything about it - the writing style, the way the perspectives changed without clear notation and just the overall tone regarding race and inequality. The book was weirdly written and hard to get through. I will not be reading anything else by this author.

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group, Regina Porter, and NetGalley for an advanced reader’s copy in exchange for a honest review. All thoughts are my own and this review will contain no spoilers.

The Rich People Have Gone Away by Regina Porter is a glimpse in the lives of New Yorkers during the COVID pandemic as they try to find a missing pregnant woman named Darla. Theo, her husband, “lost” Darla in the woods on a hiking trip in upstate New York. As their family and friends look for Darla, secrets are revealed about each person including neighbors in the building and those from their past. I look forward to reading more of this author’s work.

I really wanted to love this book. I tried many times to start over in a better mindset but something about the writing turned me off. I didn't get sucked into any of the major characters quickly enough. The writing wasn't bad but it just didn't click for me. Normally I love this kind of book and I can't quite put my finger on why it didn't draw me in. I think the introductions went on just a little too long.

This was my first book by Regina Porter--and what a thrilling ride it was. Set during COVID-19, this book follows several characters in New York City as they manage the pressures of the pandemic on their families and relationships. Without judgement, it examines how crisis forces people to be honest with themselves and others about race and privilege in ways they might not confront in times of ease and prosperity. The characters are well rounded and, at times, morally gray, but they command the reader's sympathy without emotional manipulation or melodrama. The plot is well-paced and thoroughly developed. Highly recommended. --Arlan Hess, City Books (Pittsburgh)

I found this book to be slow and challenging to get through. I had to force myself to finish it. The beginning hooked me, but about a third of the way through, I lost interest.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for this ARC of 'The Rich People Have Gone Away' by Regina Porter.

Building your novel around, for me, a thoroughly unlikeable character - Theo Harper - is a brave move by Regina Porter but the book works because of all the other elements. Theo's wife Darla disappears on an upstate NY mountainside following an argument hot on the heels of them abandoning New York in the early months of the Covid 19 pandemic.

Throughout the remainder of the book we're introduced more in-depth to their close friends, family, neighbors, and lovers.

Multiple characters and storylines and issues are woven into the tale with Darla's disappearance at the center of everything. Slavery in the US, the 'single drop' approach to race and racism, inter-racial marriage, socio-economic-engendered snobbery, LBGTQ+ issues, the pandemic itself, and even the September 11 attacks and their impact on the personal and national psyche. We delve deeper into the lives and experiences of Theo, Darla, and Darla's friend Ruby Black (as well as a Black high school student) and see the once seeming utopian existences begin to fracture under the weight of events (inside and outside their control) and decisions made.

This book is all about interconnectedness of people and events and, although I did find it a little difficult at times to keep everything and everyone straight in my head, I very much enjoyed the story and the writing.

Thank you Netgalley for the arc of this upcoming novel.

Similar to the beat of many classic novels, this unfolds telling one story through many perspectives and angles. The story kept the same pace and didn’t leave me wanting more or less. Ultimately 3.75

The story flowed well and the characters were well developed. I recommend this book and look forward to more from this author.


****Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for my honest review****