Clutch

A taut and powerful exploration of the complexities of female friendships and the fragile ties that hold us together. Perfect for fans of Alison Espach and Curtis Sittenfeld * As undergrads, Gregg, Reba, Hillary, Bella, and Carson formed the kind of rare bond that university brochures promise - friendship that lasts a lifetime. Two decades later, the women are spread across the country but remain firmly linked through their ever-active group chat. They've made it through COVID and childbirth and midcareer challenges, but no one can anticipate what's coming next. The five women converge on Palm Springs for a long overdue reunion: Gregg, a progressive Texas legislator, is facing a huge decision about her political future. Reba is deep in IVF treatments while caring for her aging parents and navigating a San Francisco she hardly recognizes. Hillary's medical career is going great - but at home, her husband's struggles with addiction have derailed their life. In New York City, Bella faces the biggest case in her career as a litigator while her home life crumbles around her, and across the river in Brooklyn, Carson is working on a new novel as well as forging a possible relationship with the father she's never met. Twenty years into their shared friendship, the stakes are higher than ever. With wit, empathy and heart, Clutch asks how much we can give to our friends and our families, and what space we can save for ourselves. * Praise for Clutch: 'A truly great millennial novel' New York Times Book Reviewnewsletter 'A big, beautiful novel about what friendship means as we get older' LitHub 'A big-hearted and daring novel from one of our finest creative and critical minds' Jonathan Escoffery, Booker Prize-shortlisted author of If I Survive You 'A powerfully intimate portrait of female friendship' Kimberly King Parsons, author of We Were the Universe

Emily Nemens's first novel, The Cactus League, was a New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice. From 2018 to 2021, she edited The Paris Review, winning the American Society of Magazine Editors' Award for Fiction, and producing the second season of the journal's acclaimed podcast. Emily grew up in Seattle and received her bachelor's degree from Brown University, where she studied art history and studio art. As an illustrator, she has collaborated with Harvey Pekar and published her work in The New Yorker; her watercolor portraits of every woman in congress were featured across the web and on national TV. Her short stories have appeared in Esquire, n+1, The Iowa Review, Hobart, and The Gettysburg Review.