Ask Me Again

A Novel

De: Clare Sestanovich

Narrado por: Julia Knippen

THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE SHORTLIST • From the PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize finalist, whose short stories received instant acclaim (“Sparingly told, evoked with lacerating intimacy . . . Extraordinary”—Esquire), a debut novel about a young woman’s coming of age, and the singular friendship that challenges her values, her beliefs, and the course of her life

At sixteen, Eva meets Jamie by chance. She lives in middle-class south Brooklyn; he comes from the super rich of upper Manhattan. She’s observant, cautious, often insecure; he’s curious, bold, full of mysteries. These two questers are drawn together in a strange and profound friendship, tested by forces larger than themselves. As Eva follows a path of conventional achievement—a prestigious degree, a formative romance, the start of an ambitious career—Jamie seeks out more radical experiments in finding himself: renouncing his family, joining a political movement, and eventually even talking to God.

Carried forcefully along by Clare Sestanovich’s exquisite prose, these two characters are pulled into separate spheres but circle the same questions: how to define their values and find their purpose, how to create a sense of self while discovering what they owe to society and to the cause of justice. These reckonings propel a surprising story of intimacy across time, exploring the alchemy of identity, the mystery of destiny, and the difficult journey of finding faith—in yourself, and in the world.

©2024 Clare Sestanovich (P)2024 Random House Audio

Reseñas de la Crítica

One of the Most Anticipated Books of 2024 by Vogue, Literary Hub, and Library Journal

“Profound. . . . [Sestanovich's] language is cuttingly precise.”—The Washington Post

"In this anthropological excavation of a coming-of-age story. . . . Ask Me Again is a sprawling novel riddled with modern benchmarks, from the Occupy movement to an Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez stand-in—all of which shape Eva and Jamie’s malleable world views. A masterful and exacting writer, Sestanovich isn’t afraid to ask life’s big questions, even—and especially—when she doesn’t know the answers."—Vogue

“Sestanovich captivates with her distinctive characterizations . . . and insights into the reverberating consequences of a gap between one's intentions and one's actions. The result is an intelligent exploration of lives in the making.”—Publishers Weekly