The Reeds, Arjun Basu
The Reeds, Arjun Basu
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

The Reeds
A Novel

Author: Arjun Basu

Narrator: Andrew Shaver

Unabridged: 11 hr 40 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: ECW Press

Published: 11/26/2024


Synopsis

A single summer changes the trajectory of each member of this close-knit family, changing their lives — and the family — forever. “Sharp, wildly hilarious, touching, and profound … Maybe art can’t be perfect, but Arjun Basu comes as close as it gets.” — Chris Harding, author of Pickard County Atlas The Reeds are a very loving, slightly dysfunctional family — but a summer of individual changes is about to shake their tight family unit. Bobby, the father, loses his job while his wife Mimi’s lucrative business leaps ahead. Their adopted son, Abbie, leverages his internet stardom into the makings of a career, while their adopted daughter, Dee, discovers who she really is. They’ll have to navigate the shifting landscapes of money and fame in the age of the internet, office politics, gender dynamics, and sexuality in a world that has just seen political upheaval. Set in Montreal’s west end, The Reeds is an ultimately optimistic story about the middle class, hope and love, and nostalgia, while exploring the dehumanization of work and the power of art against a backdrop of shag carpeting, the relentlessness of change, gentrification, and Japanese fried chicken.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Kailey on July 04, 2024

The Reeds follows a family of 4 in a very tumultuous period in each family member's life. Following each one of their successes and failures we get an inside scoop into each character's inner workings thanks to the omniscient 3rd person narration. I particularly enjoyed the family dinner scenes whic......more

Goodreads review by Jo on October 15, 2024

Happy publication day 🎉🥳 A family drama, where the problems are much the same as most families, everyone has forgotten the core values, they insist on no phones around the dinner table to unite, yet each of them are completely in their own heads and desperate to get away. The parents are absorbed in......more

Goodreads review by Rachel on November 09, 2024

To the outside world the Reeds are just a normal family. But on closer inspection they’re a little dysfunctional! The Reeds live in Montreal, Canada. Bobby has always prided himself in his harsh management style, which gets him fired (thankfully with a fantastic severance deal!). Mimi, his wife, is s......more

Goodreads review by Meg on September 12, 2024

3.5 stars rounded up. Poignant, often funny, sometimes frustrating, I think this is a wonderful slice of life book about a complex family. The parents often suck, but the kids are absolute gems. I’ll be honest, I did not like this book for the first few chapters because I instantly hated Bobby, and......more

Goodreads review by Owais on September 11, 2024

Unfortunately I DNFed this one. Only after 30% in and things moving a tad too slowly for my liking. I love a good slow burn but writing needs to keep me hooked too. The slow plot and so much exposition, at one point 4 pages of background before Bobby enters home, the all over the place writing neede......more