Town  Country, Brian Schaefer
Town  Country, Brian Schaefer
List: $25.99 | Sale: $18.20
Club: $12.99

Town & Country

Author: Brian Schaefer

Narrator: Daniel K Isaac

Unabridged: 10 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 11/04/2025


Synopsis

A 2025 MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK: Town & Country • LGBTQReads • Kirkus Reviews

“Refreshingly thoughtful...Town & Country is never short of engaging.” —The Washington Post

A “big-hearted and true” (Andrew Sean Greer, Pulitzer Prize winner) debut novel set in a small rural town amid a congressional race that forces the candidates, their families, and a clique of gay second homeowners to confront lies, betrayals and shifting allegiances.

The trendy rural town of Griffin has become a popular destination for weekenders and the city’s second homeowners, but now a congressional race in this swing district is highlighting tensions between life-long residents and new arrivals. The campaign pits local pub owner and town supervisor Chip Riley against the wealthy young carpetbagger Paul Banks, challenging the social and political loyalties of their families and friends with lasting repercussions.

Diane Riley, Chip’s wife, is a religiously devout real estate agent who feels conflicted about selling second homes—including to Paul and his much older husband, Stan. Their elder son, Joe, is grieving the recent overdose death of his best friend and spiraling into drugs himself, while their younger son, Will, is a newly out college student seduced by the decadent lifestyle of Paul’s circle.

Meanwhile, Stan Banks uses the race to give purpose to the pain of losing a loved one to AIDS, even as he begins to doubt Paul’s readiness for office. And within their growing fraternity of city transplants, Eric Larimer finds unexpected connection with a local farmer that opens his eyes to the region’s complexity as Leon Rogers, still reeling from a divorce, becomes increasingly desperate to infiltrate the Banks’s exclusive crew.

Spanning six months from Memorial Day to Election Day, Town & Country paints a kaleidoscopic portrait of a community in flux. For readers of Fredrick Backman and Jen Beagin, this “powerful and extremely well-written book” (Colum McCann, National Book Award winner) asks the essential and timeless questions: What makes a home, and what do we owe our neighbors?

About Brian Schaefer

Brian Schaefer contributes regularly to The New York Times and has written for The New Yorker, New York magazine, and more. He is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship in Arts Journalism and was a finalist for the Livingston Award for International Reporting. He earned his master’s degree in creative writing from Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv. He and his husband live in New York City and the Hudson Valley. Town & Country is his first novel.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Ron on December 16, 2025

A nation gagging on its own political bile needs another political novel like a late-night swig of Reddit rage. But in these poisoned times, Brian Schaefer’s “Town & Country” serves up something refreshingly thoughtful. This is an election story set far from Washington and the clashing swords of cabl......more

Goodreads review by Marieke on June 18, 2025

The publisher compares Brian Schaeffer to Fredrik Backman, and I can see why. Both writers introduce a large number of main characters at a rapid pace, making the first 20–30% of the story hard to follow. Add in the head-jumping, which I’m usually not a fan of but feels natural with both authors, al......more

Goodreads review by Linzie (suspenseisthrillingme) on December 13, 2025

Filled with delicious gossip, dark humor, and plenty of intrigue, Town & Country not only provided some truly relatable political and social commentary but also a darn good time. Set in a small town during a high-stakes congressional race, the believably flawed characters and serious themes interwov......more

Goodreads review by Cole on November 23, 2025

The rural town of Griffin has its mix of longtime townies and weekenders from the nearby city who own second homes there; but more importantly, it’s a swing district for a congressional seat. Town supervisor and local business owner Chip Riley is pitted against a queer carpetbagger Paul Banks, testi......more

Goodreads review by mtrics on July 18, 2025

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review. Griffin, a rural town in the U.S., is in crisis. Tensions are rising between its citizens: on one side, the longtime locals, who are facing mounting challenges (rising living costs, a housing crisis, increasing drug abuse); on the other, the affluen......more


Quotes

"Daniel K. Isaac's performance reminds listeners that there’s always more than meets the eye in seemingly charming small towns. In Griffin, New York, the unseen has started bubbling to the surface. Listeners become immersed in the town's conflicts over a congressional race, struggles with addiction, history of ignorance and prejudice, and present-day gentrification. The complex lives of the transplants and the homegrown are treated with respect as Isaac recounts in a level, tranquil tone the circumstances that have brought each character to the town. Isaac’s delicate narration smoothly shifts from scene to scene and character to character. An excellent listen for political junkies, relocated city dwellers, and those hungry for a slice of small-town America."