Marcy Dermansky: Very Nice

Rachel Klein never meant to kiss her creative writing professor, but with his long eyelashes, silky hair and the sad, beautiful life he laid bare on Twitter, she does, and the kiss is very nice. Zahid Azzam never planned to become a houseguest in his student's sprawling Connecticut home, but with the sparkling swimming pool, the endless supply of strawberries and Rachel's beautiful mother, he does, and the home is very nice. Becca Klein never thought she'd have a love affair so soon after her husband leaves her for a younger woman, but when her daughter's professor walks into her home, bringing with him a poodle named Princess, she does, and the affair turns out to be... a very bad idea. An ingenious blend of sex, secrets and betrayal, Very Nice is a sharp, compulsive take on modern life from one of America's most exciting novelists.