The Latecomer
*A New York Times Notable Book of 2022*
*A Washington Post Notable Work of Fiction*
*An NPR Best Book of the Year*
*A New Yorker Best Book of 2022*
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Plot, Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Latecomer is a layered and immersive literary novel about three siblings, desperate to escape one another, and the upending of their family by the late arrival of a fourth.
The Latecomer follows the story of the wealthy, New York City-based Oppenheimer family, from the first meeting of parents Salo and Johanna, under tragic circumstances, to their triplets born during the early days of IVF. As children, the three siblings – Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally – feel no strong familial bond and cannot wait to go their separate ways, even as their father becomes more distanced and their mother more desperate. When the triplets leave for college, Johanna, faced with being truly alone, makes the decision to have a fourth child. What role will the “latecomer” play in this fractured family?
A complex novel that builds slowly and deliberately, The Latecomer touches on the topics of grief and guilt, generational trauma, privilege and race, traditions and religion, and family dynamics. It is a profound and witty family story from an accomplished author, known for the depth of her character studies, expertly woven storylines, and plot twists.
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Jean Hanff Korelitz
Jean Hanff Korelitz has built a reputation as a writer who knows how to draw readers into the uneasy space between truth and deception, where ambition collides with morality and secrets refuse to stay buried. Her novels often unfold like literary puzzles, inviting readers to question not just her characters’ choices but their own assumptions about storytelling itself.
Born and raised in New York, Korelitz studied at Dartmouth College and Clare College, Cambridge, before settling into a career that bridges both literary and popular fiction. While she has written across genres, her breakout novel The Plot brought her widespread recognition in 2021. The book followed a struggling writer who takes a student’s idea and spins it into a bestselling novel, only to find himself haunted by accusations of theft. Its success introduced many readers to her sharp eye for character and her ability to turn the act of writing itself into a suspense story.
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