Zoe Whittall

Hardcover (1 to 2 lbs)

Kentucky

A Novel

"The Woodburys cherish life in the affluent, bucolic suburb of Avalon Hills, Connecticut. George is a beloved science teacher at the local prep school, a hero who once thwarted a gunman, and his wife, Joan, is a hardworking ER nurse. They have brought up their children in this thriving town of wooded yards and sprawling lakes. Then one night a police car pulls up to the Woodbury home and George is charged with sexual misconduct with students from his daughter's school. As he sits in prison awaiting trial and claiming innocence, Joan vaults between denial and rage as friends and neighbors turn cold"--Amazon.com.

The Best Kind of People

e7b045d1-92ce-4367-9569-5d4935c96a14-1

New York

Three generations of women strive for real freedom in this startling, provocative novel exploring sexuality, gender, and maternal ambivalence, from the acclaimed author of The Best Kind of People. "Whittall addresses motherhood and autonomy in ways I've never seen done before. A fascinating stunner of a novel, The Spectacular is exactly that: spectacular!"--Kristen Arnett, author of With Teeth It's 1997 and Missy is a cellist in an indie rock band on tour across America. At twentytwo years old, she gets on stage every night and plays the song about her absent mother that made the band famous. As the only girl in the band, she's determined to party just as hard as everyone else, loving and leaving a guy in every town. But then she meets a tomboy drummer who is hard to forget, and a forgotten flap of cocaine strands her at the border. Fortysomething Carola is just surfacing from a sex scandal at the yoga center where she has been living when she sees her daughter, Missy, for the first time in ten years--on the cover of a music magazine. Ruth is eighty-three and planning her return to the Turkish seaside village where she spent her childhood. But when her granddaughter, Missy, winds up crashing at her house, she decides it's time that the strong and stubborn women in her family find a way to understand one another again. In this sharply observed novel, Zoe Whittall captures three very different women who each struggle to build an authentic life. Definitions of family, romance, gender, and love will radically change as they seek out lives that are nothing less than spectacular.

The Spectacular

c1354874-27f7-4c30-9248-18facd16fdef-1

Light Paperback (1 lb or less)

National Bestseller 2016 Scotiabank Giller Prize finalist National Post 99 Best Books of the Year Indigo Best Book of the Year Globe and Mail Best 100 Books of 2016 What if someone you trusted was accused of the unthinkable? George Woodbury, an affable teacher and beloved husband and father, is arrested for sexual impropriety at a prestigious prep school. His wife, Joan, vaults between denial and rage as the community she loved turns on her. Their daughter, Sadie, a popular over-achieving high school senior, becomes a social pariah. Their son, Andrew, assists in his father's defense, while wrestling with his own unhappy memories of his teen years. A local author tries to exploit their story, while an unlikely men's rights activist attempts to get Sadie onside their cause. With George locked up, how do the members of his family pick up the pieces and keep living their lives? How do they defend someone they love while wrestling with the possibility of his guilt? With exquisite emotional precision, award-winning author Zoe Whittall explores issues of loyalty, truth, and the meaning of happiness through the lens of an all-American family on the brink of collapse.

Paperback (1 to 2 lbs)

Utah

It's taboo to regret motherhood. But what would happen if you did? Shifting perspectives and time periods, The Spectacular is a multi-generational story exploring sexuality, gender and the weight of reproductive freedoms, from the author of The Best Kind of People

It's 1997 and Missy's band has finally hit the big time as they tour across America. At age twenty-two, Missy gets on stage every night and plays the song about her absent mother that made the band famous. The only girl in the band, she's determined to party just as hard as everyone else, loving and leaving someone in every town--until she's left stranded at the border because of a forgotten party favour.

Forty-something Carola is just surfacing from a sex scandal at the yoga centre where she has been living when she sees her daughter, Missy, for the first time in ten years--on the cover of a music magazine.

Ruth, eighty-three, is planning her return to the Turkish seaside village where she spent her childhood. But when her granddaughter, Missy, crashes at her house, she decides it's time the strong and stubborn women in her family find a way to understand one another again.

In this book, by turns sharp and provocative, Zoe Whittall captures three generations of very different women who struggle to build an authentic life in the absence of traditional familial and marital structures. Definitions of family, romance, gender and love will radically change as they seek out lives that are nothing less than spectacular. 

Heavy Paperback (2 to 4 lbs)

Rhode Island

The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall

This book is in excellent condition with some wear to the back dust jacket.

Virginia

Connecticut

Colorado

Insightfully showcasing the inner divide, this poetic memoir aims to break down the larger lies of poetic form and the smaller dishonesties within the self. A fixation on medical language and the crucial aspects of what it means to be human, to love, and to be loved are woven throughout this collection. Featuring compelling lesbian themes, this is a humorous book of self-discovery that conjures up all the joy, toughness, and melancholy of being a girl, both elegant and scruffy at once.

Precordial Thump

3e26ca25-880e-4a7c-b491-607b6d52ec29-0

First time using Pango? 
Use Code HGBS at checkout to save $5 off your first $10 order
Dog Friendly Home
Smoke Free
g

Ohio

Pet friendly home. Please view all photos. Book has never been read. 

Louisiana

A scammer as alluring as she is elusive irrevocably upends the lives of two strangers in this gripping novel from the acclaimed author of The Best Kind of People.

After the death of her wife, Shelby is suffering from prolonged grief. She's increasingly isolated, irritated by her family's stoicism and her friends' reliance on the toxic positivity of self-help culture. Then, in a grief support group, she meets Cammie, who gives her permission to express her most hopeless, hideous feelings. Cammie is charismatic and unlike anyone Shelby has ever met. She's also recovering from cancer and going through several other calamities. Shelby puts all her energy into helping Cammie thrive--until her intuition tells her that something isn't right.

Gibson is fresh from divorce, almost forty, and deeply depressed. Then he falls in love with Cammie. Not only is he having the best sex of his life with a woman so attractive he's stunned she even glanced his way, but he feels truly known for the first time in his life. But Gibson's friends are wary of Cammie, and eventually he, too, has to admit that all the drama in Cammie's life can feel a bit over the top.

When Gibson and Shelby meet, they realize Cammie's stories don't always add up. In fact, they're far from the truth. But what kind of a person would lie about having cancer? And what does it say about Shelby and Gibson that they fell for it? From the author of The Best Kind of People and The Spectacular comes a sharp, emotional novel about lies, liars, and the people who love them.

The Fake

e1a9839e-e316-4ceb-8ec7-48006a8662ad-1

California

A local schoolteacher is arrested, leaving his family to wrestle with the possibility of his guilt, in this exquisite novel about loyalty, truth, and happiness. The Woodburys cherish life in the affluent, bucolic suburb of Avalon Hills, Connecticut. George is a beloved science teacher at the local prep school, a hero who once thwarted a gunman, and his wife, Joan, is a hardworking ER nurse. They have brought up their children in this thriving town of wooded yards and sprawling lakes. Then one night a police car pulls up to the Woodbury home and George is charged with sexual misconduct with students from his daughter's school. As he sits in prison awaiting trial and claiming innocence, Joan vaults between denial and rage as friends and neighbors turn cold. Their daughter, seventeen-year-old Sadie, is a popular high school senior who becomes a social outcast--and finds refuge in an unexpected place. Her brother, Andrew, a lawyer in New York, returns home to support the family, only to confront unhappy memories from his past. A writer tries to exploit their story, while an unlikely men's rights activist group attempts to recruit Sadie for their cause. Provocative and unforgettable, The Best Kind of People reveals the cracks along the seams of even the most perfect lives and the unraveling of an American family. GILLER PRIZE FINALIST * NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY THE NEW YORK POST "A compelling exploration of the ways a crime implicates all of us."--Kaitlyn Greenidge, author of We Love You, Charlie Freeman "I am obsessed with this book."--Samantha Irby, author of We Are Never Meeting in Real Life "In our post-Harvey Weinstein world [this book] feels more timely and urgent than ever. . . . It draws an elegant line between rape culture, patriarchy, and privilege."--Claire Cameron, The Millions "Every character is fully rounded, flawed, and achingly human. It puts me in mind of a twenty-first-century Ordinary People."--Kate Harding, author of Asking for It "Sure to provoke debate and send book discussion groups into overtime."--Library Journal (starred review) "A powerful page-turner."--Cosmopolitan

Texas

Michigan

Illinois

Stories

A dazzling debut collection of ten powerful, feminist, and queer short stories from bestselling author Zoe Whittall “Absorbing and wrenchingly intimate, with a rare balance of wit and tenderness.”—Jenny Fran Davis, author of Dykette In Wild Failure, characters encounter feelings of shame, desire, attachment, and disconnection as they find themselves navigating their way through bad decisions, unusual situations, and fraught relationships. In “Oh, El,” a dominant woman can’t stop herself from toying with the tender heart of her co-worker. The title story, “Wild Failure,” is a doomed love story between an agoraphobic and a wilderness hiker. In “Half-Pipe,” a teen girl’s heterosexual ambivalence results in chaos at a skate park. A group of idealistic roommates find themselves the subject of a true crime podcast in “Murder at the Elm Street Collective House.” In “The Sex Castle Lunch Buffet,” a woman reflects on her brief stint at a nineties strip club after she learns of the death of a former client. Wild Failure is replete with Whittall’s perceptive humor and acute insights into human nature. It’s also a dynamic and vibrant collection of poetic fiction that contend with the meaning of desire in a world that devalues femininity and queerness.

Browse by categories

Save this search

Zoe Whittall

The Best Kind of People

Zoe Whittall

The Spectacular

Zoe Whittall

The Best Kind of People

Zoe Whittall

The Spectacular

Zoe Whittall

The Spectacular

Zoe Whittall

The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall

Zoe Whittall

The Best Kind of People

Zoe Whittall

The Best Kind of People

Zoe Whittall

Precordial Thump

Zoe Whittall

The Spectacular

Zoe Whittall

The Spectacular

Zoe Whittall

The Fake

Zoe Whittall

The Best Kind of People

Zoe Whittall

The Best Kind of People

Zoe Whittall

The Best Kind of People

Zoe Whittall

The Best Kind of People

Zoe Whittall

The Spectacular

Zoe Whittall

The Spectacular

Zoe Whittall

The Spectacular

Zoe Whittall

Wild Failure

Zoe Whittall

The Best Kind of People

Zoe Whittall

The Spectacular

Zoe Whittall

The Best Kind of People

Zoe Whittall

Wild Failure