In a season choked with books by big name authors, it’s difficult to break through at all, let alone achieve a hit, but The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg, (Hachette/Grand Central, 10/23), the author’s third novel, has been called the “sleeper hit of the fall.” You can judge for yourself; e-galleys are available via NetGalley.

Hook: About a dysfunctional Jewish family in the Chicago suburbs, it’s been called  the “Jewish The Corrections.”

Cover Blurb: is by Franzen himself; “The Middlesteins had me from its very first pages, but it wasn’t until is final pages that I fully appreciated the range of Attenberg’s sympathy and the artistry of her storytelling.” Check out the distinctive cover (click on the image to enlarge it), which makes sly reference to one of the main character’s obsession with food.

Early Picks: On People‘s list of ten Hot Fall Titles and described as “The sleeper hit of the fall” on CBS This Morning‘s fall book roundup (9/17).

Starred Prepub Reviews: Booklist, Kirkus and PW all starred it.

Librarian interest: one of the picks at the BEA Librarians Shout ‘n’ Share, it has also been recommended on EarlyWord‘s GalleyChat.

Holds: Light in most areas, but it’s early.

This entry was posted on Thursday, September 20th, 2012 at 4:18 pm and is filed under 2012 -- Fall, Fiction. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.