The first question I had when I began Taffy Brodesser-Akner's much anticipated second novel, <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/55777544-long-island-compromise" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em>Long Island Compromise</em></a>, was obviously what is a 'Long Island compromise'...?<!--more-->

I'll cut to the chase - it refers to what 'good Catholic girls' do when hooking up with the local Jewish boys, yet still want to marry as virgins. Enough said.

But the 'compromise' in the title actually refers to more than sex. The story focuses on the history of the Fletchers, an <em>'...extraordinarily, absurdly, kidnappably rich...'</em> American Jewish family, over a couple of generations, and the decisions that each of them make in order to navigate life. Decisions might be too strong a word, because it is a story about compromises - people gritting their teeth and doing what's expected.
<p style="padding-left: 40px;"><em>There has never been, in the history of all human interaction, a way for a woman to explain effectively that she’s calm when a man has suggested she isn’t.</em></p>
The story begins dramatically - wealthy businessman, Carl Fletcher, <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2024/07/07/magazine/kidnapping-long-island.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">is kidnapped from his driveway</a> and held for ransom. A week later, he is returned to his wife and kids and appears to be 'okay'. Their life returns to 'normal', and the Fletchers are comforted by the knowledge that their money affords them safety (despite that being why Carl was targeted in the first place).

Fast forward a few decades and we meet Carl's adult children - Nathan, who is crippled by chronic fear and poor performance in his work at a law firm; Beamer, a Hollywood screenwriter, who had one hit and has since floundered (but family wealth furnishes his drug and sex habits); and Jenny, who has spent her life trying to prove that she is not a product of her family’s wealth (and yet ends up doing precisely that).
<p style="padding-left: 40px;"><em>Nathan Fletcher had grown ... into not so much a whole man but a collection of tics: a composite panic attack whose brain lived in both the unspeakable past and the terrifying future and rarely in a particular current moment unless that moment contained more fear than the past and future put together and therefore deserved his complete attention. It was the fear that always felt like the truth to him.</em></p>
At 464 pages, there's a lot more to this story, but the themes - tradition, ambition, success and failure, inter-generational trauma, trauma responses, fear of the future, the burden of inheritance, and loyalty - run through each character's story.

I started the book anticipating a tone similar to that of <em>Fleishman is in Trouble</em> - light and funny, but with sharp observations about people in relational distress. That's not <em>Long Island</em>. This is a whole lot darker. There are some genuinely funny moments but they are of the satirical variety, and sometimes the switch between trauma and satire was swift, making it difficult to fully engage with the humour (I had this nagging feeling that it's <em>not</em> okay to laugh about some of this stuff...).

<span class="Formatted">Brodesser-Akner examines generational wealth from a number of angles. Predominantly, she considers the extent to which being born into money alters your world view. But she also pokes fun at the Fletchers, who lean on their humble 'we-came-to-America-with-nothing' origin story, while at the same time embrace ostentatious demonstrations of their wealth.
</span>
<p style="padding-left: 40px;"><em>...the understanding of what had really gone wrong in their lives revealed itself to them, which was that the tide pool you’re born into is only manageable if someone gives you swimming lessons. Or, put more simply, in order to be a normal person, you had to at least see normal people.</em></p>
Don't expect to like any of the characters - they all do self-entitlement in their own unique way, and most of them are really good at making <u>bad</u> decisions. Were the characters slightly too exaggerated? And their circumstances laboured? I think so but, Brodesser-Akner gets away with it because her writing is very good (especially when capturing the neuroses and anxieties of the adult Fletcher children) and the structure of the book is impressive.
<p style="padding-left: 40px;"><em>"You’re not bringing your flat iron?” Ruth asked. Jenny dropped her hands. “I’ve never used it. It is a wish you made, that flat iron. It didn’t come true. I’m sorry. Most dreams don’t."</em></p>
In terms of family epics, I was reminded of novels by <a href="https://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.com/2022/12/30/quick-very-quick-reviews/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonathan Franzen</a> and <a href="https://booksaremyfavouriteandbest.com/2016/10/04/here-i-am-by-jonathan-safran-foer/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jonathan Safran Foer</a> - so if they're on your reading list, you'll enjoy <em>Long Island</em>.

3/5

I received my copy of <em>Long Island Compromise </em>from the publisher, Hachette Australia &amp; New Zealand, via <a href="https://www.netgalley.com/catalog/book/374042" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NetGalley</a>, in exchange for an honest review.

I was full of excitement for this release, however, the anticipation hasn't met the reality for me. The characters are dull, caught in their repetitively painful cycles of poor behaviour and privileged woe is me whining. The writing is great, as expected, but sadly these characters and the slow plot was not enough to keep me engaged.

In 1980, Carl Fletcher is kidnapped on his way to work. He returns home five days later after his family pays the very large ransom but the fall-out from this event continues to have an ongoing impact on his mother, wife and three children.

I know this book is supposed to be about intergenerational trauma, specifically that of Jewish families. The escape of Carl's father, Zelig, from the Holocaust that killed the rest of his family is central to the stories of the Fletcher family and is far easier for them to discuss than their direct trauma - the kidnapping of Carl. But, most of the novel is spent with the Fletcher children – Beamer, Nathan and Jenny – and they are just awful. It is incredibly unpleasant to spend 400+ pages reading about how damaging it is to have lots of money and no material concerns. Again, I know the author knows these characters are terrible, (view spoiler) but that does not make it any easier to read about these terrible people.

On the plus side, Brodesser-Akner writing is still really engaging. Even as I was annoyed by the Fletcher children and their parents, grandparents and friends, I continued to read on. Three stars.

Feature writer Taffy Brodesser-Akner broke into the literary scene with her modern marriage drama Fleishman is in Trouble. That book, which explored the breakdown of a marriage from a number of perspectives went on to also be successfully adapted for TV. Her new novel Long Island Compromise, moves out of the city, but like Fleishman, focusses on the American Jewish community and experience. Although in this case, Brodesser-Akner considers the lives of the ultra-wealthy.
There are two defining stories in the Fletcher family of Long Island. The first is how grandfather Zelig managed to flee the Nazis and come to America clutching the formula for polystyrene, bestowed on him by a dying man and leveraged that formula into a successful factory. The second, and more immediate, is the kidnapping in 1980 of Carl, Zelig’s son and father of Nathan, Bernard and (soon after) Jenny. After an excruciating few days, the family paid the ransom and Carl was returned but this traumatic event echoes through the family.
The narrative of Long Island Compromise revolves around the three Fletcher children, forty years on. All are basket cases in their own way, harking back to the kidnapping and its impact on their childhoods and ongoing. But Brodesser-Akner does not let them off the hook that easily. What really underpins the Fletcher’s malaise is the regular, unearned money that they receive from the factory. And it is when this money tap is turned off that they really start to go off the rails.
Fair warning: not one character of Long Island Compromise is likeable, or sympathetic. This is mainly due to the way they behave but it is clear that the unnamed narrator (or narrators? It is hard to tell just who is telling this story or why) doesn’t really like them either. And Brodesser-Akner’s prose is incredibly detailed. Which makes spending time with these characters an exhausting and seemingly futile exercise.
The whole enterprise builds up to what is supposed to be game changing reveals. Unfortunately, the twists and reveals when they finally come are neither particularly revelatory or make a lot of sense. And to bring home Brodesser-Akner’s main thesis, don’t actually make a lot of difference to the lives of the spoilt narcissists at the centre of the narrative.
Long Island Compromise follows an American literary tradition of dense, highly observational, social satire. And in its narrow focus and range it is very American, or more precisely, very East Coast, upper class, Jewish American. Peopled by unlikeable characters it confuses shrillness, antic behaviour, literary sarcasm and snide observation for comedy. And spends an inordinately long time coming to the unsurprising conclusion that no matter what happens the rich can weather anything usually by climbing over those less wealthy than themselves. Others have done this better, more subtly and more enjoyably.

Thank you so much for the ARC! This was one of my highly anticipated reads for 2024, however it ended up not being for me :( I’ll keep a lookout for other stories by this author!

I almost hated this book for the first half such was the repulsiveness of each of the characters and yet the way it all came together was somehow satisfying and cathartic and dare I say it enjoyable?

This is a story about a very wealthy family that lives on Long Island. In 1980 Carl Fletcher is kidnapped from his driveway and his five day ordeal fundamentally shapes his family’s lives for the next four decades. His mother Phyllis, his wife Ruth, his sons Nathan and Bernard and his daughter Jenny live their lives adjacent to “the kidnapping”. This event so wholly changes them and yet their wealth does not change. The children never want for anything money wise. How does this affect their personalities? How does this event contribute to their trauma? How does continuing to have money affect them? What happens when this is all threatened?

For the first 300 pages I honestly could barely care such was the strength of my disgust with pretty much all the characters. I very nearly DNF’d this. But then a huge event threatens the family’s money and suddenly we started really seeing each family member’s perspective. When we finally go back in time and understand what really happened to Carl and the immediate aftermath, wowsers. It all started to make sense!!

This will be a polarising book for sure. Taffy Brodesser-Akner can certainly write Jewish families in New York and she can certainly write a complicated family dynamic. In my opinion though, pushing through and past the dreadfulness of the characters was a real challenge and the reward only came very late in the story for me.

If you enjoyed Fleishman is in Trouble I think you will probably enjoy this book too. Is it worth pushing past the first half? Hmmm I’m not 100% sure. But if you do persevere know that the final chapters come together in a way that you might never expect!

Thank you to @netgalley and @hachetteaus for my #gifted copy. Long Island Compromise is out 9 July.

Thanks kindly to NetGalley and Hachette Australia for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I was really looking forward to this highly anticipated novel from Taffy Brodesser-Akner. It is objectively good, but alas just not for me.

Long Island Compromise is truly a piece of literary fiction. It is incredibly character-driven, and follows a Jewish American family almost forty years after father and wealthy businessperson Carl Fletcher was kidnapped for ransom and returned to his family.

I can appreciate the premise, story and how rich the world the author creates. But I personally found the novel incredibly hard to get into and the characters not quite compelling or relatable enough to be intrigued by. The amount of detail was so stifling and there wasn't much space to breathe, imagine or get dragged into the world of the Long Island Compromise. As another reviewer points out, readers may find this story frustrating if they're not into character-driven plots or characters from privileged backgrounds.

This book is best suited for those who enjoy marinating in lots of detail, character driven plots and Jewish American culture. I can see how this would resonate with a very large group of particularly American readers, just not me.

Long Island Compromise was definitely my most anticipated new release so far this year. However I didn't loooove it unfortunately... I read Fleishman is In Trouble and struggled with the incredibly dense prose, which I found replicated in this novel too. I feel like the author could give the reader a bit of space with the text, to allow us to fill in some of the gaps ourselves and let our imagination do the work instead of spoon-feeding absolutely every tiny, minute detail.

I was fortunate to receive an ARC for this highly anticipated sophomore novel. Long Island Compromise follows the Fletcher family, wealthy Jews living in an upscale Long Island town. In 1980, patriarch Carl is kidnapped, forever altering their lives. Despite his return after a ransom payment, the trauma lingers, impacting each family member over the next 40 years. Taffy Brodesser-Akner skillfully develops flawed yet multi-dimensional characters, adding depth to the story. (Caveat: If you're not into flawed characters or character-driven plots, especially from privileged backgrounds, you might find this story frustrating)

The narrative unfolds through the viewpoints of three Jewish adult children who uncover the family's financial constraints. The author provides insight into the generational ascent to wealth and its repercussions. Each character is vividly portrayed with their own distinct lives, emotions, and the difficult decisions they must confront.

I appreciated the depiction of American Jewish life and how its traditions are woven into every aspect of this story, providing insight into the culture and the pressures that the children face. It embraces stereotypical characteristics of Jewish families, but with a touch of lightheartedness.

My only criticism is its length—feeling at least 100 pages too long, particularly in the initial character introductions. However, the pace picks up in the second half making it more compelling. Overall, I enjoyed it; it's a poignant portrayal of how a tragic event can deeply affect a family for years to come and also how great wealth could be a burden to the children of those who accumulated the wealth. I found the book to be thought-provoking, as it raises questions about the impact of inheriting wealth and the resulting drive for success in subsequent generations. Each new generation aims to surpass the last, but would those who've benefited from the wealth feel the same motivation? Thanks to Hachette Australia& New Zealand and NetGalley for the advanced reading copy!