Meet the Pomeroys: a church-going family of five living in a too-red house in a Texas college town. Roger, the patriarch, has impulsively decided to go back to school, only to find his future ambitions at odds with the temptations of the present. His wife Georgia, is trying to keep things afloat on the home front, though she's been feeding the bill drawer with unopened envelopes for months, and can never find the right moment to confront its scary, swelling contents. In an attempt to climb out of the holes they've dug, Roger and Georgia make a series of choices that will have catastrophic consequences for their three children-especially for Patsy, the youngest, who will spend most of her life fighting to overcome them. Though flawed and at times infuriating, Zevin's characters are so human and relatable, it is difficult not to cheer them on as they fumble towards understanding each other, and in some cases, even themselves.
In The Hole We're In, Gabrielle Zevin shines a spotlight on some of the most relevant issues of our day-over-reliance on credit, gender and class politics, the war in Iraq; but it is her deft exploration of the fragile economy of family life-emotional, financial, and psychological-that makes this a book for the ages.
"Zevin delivers in her blazing second adult novel a Corrections for our recessionary times.... Zevin mixes sharp humor with moments of grace as she gives readers terrific insights into the problems of adult children removing themselves from the influence of parents, and establishes herself as an astute chronicler of the way we spend now."
- Publishers Weekly (Starred Review)
“In this unforgettable novel, Gabrielle Zevin shares the saga of a uniquely American family. Devoid of pity yet full of compassion, The Hole We're In introduces us to flawed characters desperate to get back to the garden of an idealized American Eden—where debts are forgiven, family secrets remain buried, everyone gets a good credit rating and a higher education, and spiritual redemption can be achieved with a new coat of paint.”
- Stephanie Kallos, author of Broken For You
"Gabrielle Zevin's sentences burst like fireworks off the page—from the first chapter, I was hooked. Smart, sassy, and wise, The Hole We’re In is a delightful treat."
- Amanda Eyre Ward, author of Love Stories in this Town
“An unflinching depiction of an all-American family. Hypocritical, debt-ridden, God-fearing— there might not be much to admire about Zevin’s characters, but there is much to love about them. The Hole We’re In is a compelling read, and a true and honest novel.”
- Binnie Kirshenbaum, author of The Scenic Route
"The Pomeroys are your normal American family, heavily in debt, lacking communication skills, and tempted by your garden variety of carnal sins, with a side order of pride.... Zevin plays around with structure, juggling perspective at first and then honing in on one character. She packs the story with a full platter of issues, from abortion to race to veteran's issues and of course, religious intolerance. The sins of the father (and mother) play out over two generations, in a manner that had me alternately sad and hopeful."
- Daniel Goldin, Boswell Book Company, Milwaukee, WI
"Zevin's an author for the world between LA and NY."
- Geoffrey B. Jennings, Rainy Day Books, Fairway, KS
"I loved it! I picked it up for a peek. It is unputdownable!"
- Karen Wendler, World Eye Bookshop, Greenfield, MA
"...very subtly Zevin pulls you in, and you begin to see the humanity, and (gasp) sometimes even yourself, in her characters. Her writing is a perfect match for this story, not a wasted word or scene. Roger (who kept bringing to mind John Edwards) remained the family member I most wanted to punch. Zevin was brilliant weaving all the threads of our current social mess (war, credit calamity, religion, class) together in a cautionary tale I won't forget. So many scenes stay with me, so many sparkling paragraphs. Like Patsy, Zevin doesn't pull any of her well-placed punches. I want a T-shirt for this book. Long live Patsy."
- Leslie Reiner, Inkwood Books, Tampa, FL
"Where the Money Went" by Greg Changnon - an interview about the book in Publishers Weekly
"In Praise of Risky Covers" by Andrea Walker - the New Yorker on the jacket.
Read a brief excerpt on the Grove/Atlantic website.
