Appetite

2016 USA Best Book Awards: General Fiction Finalist

“Appetite examines the different ways we seek satisfaction in our lives―some of us are hungry for power, others for love, and some find comfort in duty and tradition. This realistic and engrossing portrait of two generations is a promising first novel with wide appeal.”
―Booklist

When Jenn Adler returns from a year in India, she has a surprise for her parents: a young guru from Bangalore whom she intends to marry. Her father, Paul, is wary of this “beggar” Jenn has brought home—who, he suspects, is conning his much-loved daughter—while her mother, Maggie, is frightened that this alien stranger will steal away her only child, her focus in life.

In the months leading up to the backyard wedding, Maggie is forced to reevaluate her virtues as she casts about for support, and Paul faces an unexpected threat at work—one that Maggie could help him meet, if he would only ask. But even with these distractions, the two parents are focused on one primary question: Can they convince their daughter she is making a terrible mistake before the wedding takes place?

Author: Sheila Grinell

Publication Date: May 17, 2016

Categories: Fiction, Spring 2016, Women’s Fiction

Description
About the Author

Description

2016 USA Best Book Awards: General Fiction Finalist

“Appetite examines the different ways we seek satisfaction in our lives―some of us are hungry for power, others for love, and some find comfort in duty and tradition. This realistic and engrossing portrait of two generations is a promising first novel with wide appeal.”
―Booklist

“Sheila Grinell’s debut novel Appetite takes us into the heart of a family being torn apart by conflicting beliefs about what constitutes love, marriage, and success. Do parents have the right to try to stop an adult child from marrying if they see disaster looming, or should they back off and wait to pick up the pieces? In this tight, well-written novel, Grinell highlights the conflict between youthful idealism and adult disillusionment in ways that are both moving and thought-provoking.”
―Mary Mackey, author of the New York Times bestseller A Grand Passion

“Appetite is the story of the conflict between a boomer couple, Maggie and Paul Adler, and Jenn, their millennial daughter, over the daughter’s impending marriage to an Indian guru. It is an engrossing account of a struggle to find common ground about how life should be lived. Long-held principles can be lost, debased, and degraded over time, sometimes to disastrous effect, while hopeful and idealistic plans for the future remain untried. This intergenerational drama of relationships, both long-established and newly formed, makes for a gripping journey―not only for the characters but for the reader as well. Sheila Grinell has done a splendid job in this fascinating first novel.”
―Mickey Friedman, author of Hurricane Season

“In her debut novel, Sheila Grinell weaves a rich and sensual tapestry of individuals held together by devotion and duty. Taut and sexy, Appetite is a story about finding your own way and the magnetic appeal of youth, ambition, and freedom. A fun read that will leave you hungry for more.”
―Gina Gotsill, co-author of Surviving the Baby Boomer Exodus: Capturing Knowledge for Gen X and Y Employees

About the Author

Born in a taxi in Manhattan, Sheila Grinell studied at the Bronx High School of Science, Harvard University, and the University of California, Berkeley. Towards the end of her forty-year career as a creator of science museums, she began to write fiction. Appetite is her debut novel. She lives in Phoenix with her husband and dog. To learn more, visit www.sheilagrinell.com.