The Nest

A story of four siblings planning their lives around a trust fund set up by their late father. Everyone is anxiously waiting for the youngest to turn 40 years old so the funds can be paid out. The "Nest"-initially designed to be a stipend-grows to an enormous amount. Each growth spurt brings huge dreams of financial freedom and being debt free. Before long, the inheritance is at the center of everyone's thoughts. Then one of the siblings lives dangerously and plunders the fund. The drama begins.

The author invests a lot of time developing the characters-each person is uniquely dysfunctional. It's easy to relate to most of the characters and some of their actions will force your emotions to the surface. It's an interesting story and a great beach or travel read.

Talking Points: Your choices matter; the impact of bad choices can be lifelong. It's a story of acceptance and reconciliation-living with someone else's bad choices. Threads of addiction, gay marriage, excesses of the rich, low self-esteem, and self-absorbed personalities run throughout. A light read that's rich in conflict.

From the publisher: Ecco - 1st edition - March 22, 2016 - 373 pages - ISBN 0062414216

A warm, funny and acutely perceptive debut novel about four adult siblings and the fate of the shared inheritance that has shaped their choices and their lives.

Every family has its problems. But even among the most troubled, the Plumb family stands out as spectacularly dysfunctional. Years of simmering tensions finally reach a breaking point on an unseasonably cold afternoon in New York City as Melody, Beatrice, and Jack Plumb gather to confront their charismatic and reckless older brother, Leo, freshly released from rehab. Months earlier, an inebriated Leo got behind the wheel of a car with a nineteen-year-old waitress as his passenger. The ensuing accident has endangered the Plumbs' joint trust fund, "The Nest," which they are months away from finally receiving.

Meant by their deceased father to be a modest mid-life supplement, the Plumb siblings have watched The Nest's value soar along with the stock market and have been counting on the money to solve a number of self-inflicted problems. Melody faces an unwieldy mortgage and looming college tuition for her twins; Jack has secretly borrowed against the beach cottage he shares with his husband, Walker; and Bea, a once-promising short-story writer, can't seem to finish her overdue novel. Can Leo rescue his siblings and, by extension, the people they love? Or will everyone need to reimagine the futures they've envisioned?

This is a story about the power of family, the possibilities of friendship, the ways we depend upon one another and the ways we let one another down-what money does to relationships, what happens to our ambitions over time, and the fraught yet unbreakable ties we share with those we love.

1. The Nest does not center on a sole protagonist, but rather a group of people. How did Sweeney's decision to structure her novel this way from the perspective of multiple characters, and in the third person, affect the way you identified with the characters? Did it make you more or less sympathetic to each sibling's predicament? Could you imagine yourself in any of their shoes?

2. Each sibling (and other characters, like Vinnie) keeps secrets not just from one another, but from their partners, children, parents, and friends. Were there secrets that should have been revealed earlier? Were more secrets kept for selfless or selfish reasons? Have you ever kept any important secrets? Would you do so again?

3. Most of the novel takes place in and around New York City. What makes-or doesn't make-this feel like a New York novel? Did it bolster or contradict any of your opinions about the city? How does the 9/11 subplot shape the tone?

4. Each sibling believes they need the money from the Nest the most. Did you find yourself leaning toward one sibling's argument? Who and why?

5. How do the Plumb siblings' relationships-both with one another, and as a group vs. Leo-evolve from adolescence to adulthood? If you have siblings, have your relationships changed, or are the dynamics still fundamentally the same?

6. Leo and Stephanie's romance shifts throughout the novel. In what ways does their relationship change, and how is it affected by the family's opinions and decisions? Have you ever been in a relationship that clashed with your family?

7. How did you feel about the novel's end regarding Leo's fate? Did the epilogue satisfy your desire for a happy ending, or did Leo's absence make it more melancholy?

8. Does the bond of family trump all-including behavior? Is it possible to rebuild trust once broken? Why or why not? Can other bonds become stronger than those of family?

To paraphrase the bumper sticker-your choices matter. The impact of bad choices can be lifelong. This is a story of acceptance and reconciliation-living with someone else's bad choices. Throughout the story are threads of addiction, gay marriage, the excesses of the rich, low self-esteem, and self-absorbed, dysfunctional personalities. It's a light read-good for travel or the beach-but rich in conflict and discussion fodder.