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The Alternatives

A Novel

Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
1 of 1 copy available
“A bold, beautiful, complex novel, and I can’t wait to read what Hughes writes next. She, too, is an unstoppable force.” New York Times Book Review
“A tale about sisterhood, a novel of ideas, a chronicle of our collective follies, a requiem for our agonizing species, The Alternatives unfolds in a prose full of gorgeous surprises and glows with intelligence, compassion, and beauty.”  —Hernan Diaz

From the writer Anthony Doerr calls “a massive talent,” the story of four brilliant Irish sisters, orphaned in childhood, who scramble to reconnect when the oldest disappears into the Irish countryside

The Flattery sisters were plunged prematurely into adulthood when their parents died in tragic circumstances. Now in their thirties—all single, all with PhDs—they are each attempting to do meaningful work in a rapidly foundering world. The four lead disparate, distanced lives, from classrooms in Connecticut to ritzy catering gigs in London’s Notting Hill, until one day their oldest sister, a geologist haunted by a terrible awareness of the earth’s future, abruptly vanishes from her work and home. Together for the first time in years, the Flatterys descend on the Irish countryside in search of a sister who doesn’t want to be found. Sheltered in a derelict bungalow, they reach into their common past, confronting both old wounds and a desperately uncertain future. Warm, fiercely witty, and unexpectedly hopeful, The Alternatives is an unforgettable portrait of a family perched on our collective precipice, told by one of Ireland’s most gifted storytellers.
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    • Publisher's Weekly

      February 12, 2024
      A 39-year-old geology professor disappears from her Galway campus, prompting her three sisters to reunite and track her down, in the intelligent if uneven latest from Hughes (The Wild Laughter). When Olwen Flattery was 18, her parents died in an accidental fall from a cliff, and she became legal guardian of her three younger sisters: Maeve, a celebrity chef in London whose recipes Hughes presents as simultaneously silly and delectable (a “fancy fish taco” comprises “red mullet with anchovy-rosemary sauce on a cabbage leaf”); Nell, an adjunct philosophy professor at a Connecticut college; and Rhona, a hard-headed Dublin political scientist. At times, Hughes reaches for dark comedy, as when she describes how both parents ended up at the bottom of the cliff (“the heavier one reached out to grasp her—reached too far; grasped too well”). Elsewhere, she strikes an earnest note as the women reunite in Ireland and reckon with Olwen’s history of alcoholism. The inconsistent tone can be jarring, but Hughes shines when weaving the dense intellectual material of the three academic sisters’ work into their dialogue (“Just don’t start on about the mind-body separateness of a pint of Guinness,” Maeve jokes to Nell). This one perplexes and stimulates in equal measure. Agent: Bill Clegg, Clegg Agency.

    • Library Journal

      July 1, 2024

      The Flattery sisters were forced to grow up quickly after the deaths of their parents. Now in their 30s, single, and all with PhDs, they are each attempting to leave a meaningful mark on the world. When the oldest sister, Olwen, a geology professor all too familiar with Earth's changing climate, disappears, her sisters travel to the Irish countryside to find her. Sheltering together, they must face personal and global truths. Hughes's (The Wild Laughter) new novel boldly explores the complexities of sisterhood and the weight of past trauma and grief. The audio is adeptly narrated by a group of six narrators, with strong performances by Irish actors Sarah Bolger, Aisling Franciosi, and Dominique McElligott, who voice sisters Rhona, Maeve, and Nell, respectively, and author Hughes, who narrates the part of Olwen. The cast gives depth and heart to the four sisters as they navigate their adult relationships, grief, and dreams, not only for themselves but for the world too. Their sensitive narration works in tandem with Hughes's luminous writing, creating a lyrical listening experience. VERDICT A haunting and timely novel, deftly exploring the intersection of family dynamics, environmental politics, and a love of the land.--Elyssa Everling

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      Family dynamics can be complex, and that's true in this audiobook. Ostensibly, the story is about four adult sisters who were orphaned early and forced to take care of themselves and--in their own ways--each other. The novel sketches their personal lives, professional ambitions, and interwoven histories when one sister goes missing. Sarah Bolger, Aisling Franciosi, Caoilinn Hughes, and Dominique Mcelligott each portray a sister's role well. Their sections are well paced and elegantly delivered--although the text often shifts into extended musings on contemporary life. Liam Heslin and John Keating are solid in supporting roles, with lovely accents and distinct personalities. Overall, the narrators deliver consistently strong performances of an uneven story. L.B.F. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

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