Editorial Content for Let's Not Do That Again
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Reviewer (text)
As members of a political family, Greta and Nick Harrison have not known any other kind of life. Their father was in the House of Representatives until his death in a car crash when they were still young. Their mother, Nancy, took over his congressional seat and proved herself a capable leader and effective legislator in her own right, continuing to win reelection.
Now Nancy’s children are young adults, and she has set her sights on a bigger prize: the US Senate. Her opponent is a beloved actor who once played a politician on a popular television show. Nancy is down in the polls, especially with baby boomers, and she knows that her entire family will be under scrutiny during the campaign.
"The novel is structured like a play, in five acts, and much like Chekhov’s gun, small details that seem to be just part of a backstory end up playing pivotal roles in the plot."
That’s why, when Greta is captured on video hurling a champagne bottle through a restaurant window during a protest in Paris, Nancy goes on the offensive. She deputizes Nick --- who’s now teaching full-time at NYU after working for a few years as her speechwriter and “fixer” --- to head to Paris and bring Greta back into the family fold, like it or not. Nick, who wants nothing more than to spend time with his new boyfriend and work on his Joan Didion–inspired musical (“Hello to All That!”), grudgingly agrees.
The narrative of Nick’s attempts to redeem Greta --- and the increasingly absurd situations that result --- is interspersed with the recent history of the Harrisons and the circumstances that led Greta away from her nice progressive political family and into the arms of a French nationalist so extreme in his views and approach that Marine Le Pen calls him “a nasty little troll.”
The novel is structured like a play, in five acts, and much like Chekhov’s gun, small details that seem to be just part of a backstory end up playing pivotal roles in the plot. It’s packed with numerous well-developed and convincingly entertaining supporting characters, especially Nancy’s beleaguered campaign staff. It’s also a mystery of sorts; readers discover what drove Greta to make such a seemingly irrational life choice.
LET’S NOT DO THAT AGAIN is observant, full of funny occurrences and dialogue, especially as Nancy’s desperation to get elected pushes her, and everyone around her, into truly extreme situations. As bizarre and (hopefully) unrealistic as these circumstances become, Grant Ginder’s novel also raises genuine questions about the lengths to which politicians might go in order to win their campaign, as well as the toll taken on a politician’s family.
Teaser
Nancy Harrison is running for Senate, and she’s determined to win. There’s just one problem: her grown children. Greta and Nick Harrison are adrift. Nick is floundering in his attempts to write a musical about the life of Joan Didion. And then there’s his little sister, Greta. Smart, pretty and completely unmotivated, allowing her life to pass her by like the shoppers at the Apple store where she works. One morning the world wakes up not to Nancy making headlines, but to Greta. She’s in Paris. With extremist protestors. Throwing a bottle of champagne through a beloved bistro’s front window. In order to save her campaign, not to mention her daughter, Nancy and Nick must find Greta before it’s too late.
Promo
Nancy Harrison is running for Senate, and she’s determined to win. There’s just one problem: her grown children. Greta and Nick Harrison are adrift. Nick is floundering in his attempts to write a musical about the life of Joan Didion. And then there’s his little sister, Greta. Smart, pretty and completely unmotivated, allowing her life to pass her by like the shoppers at the Apple store where she works. One morning the world wakes up not to Nancy making headlines, but to Greta. She’s in Paris. With extremist protestors. Throwing a bottle of champagne through a beloved bistro’s front window. In order to save her campaign, not to mention her daughter, Nancy and Nick must find Greta before it’s too late.
About the Book
Meet the Harrisons! A mother running for Senate, a son running from his problems and a daughter running straight into trouble.
From Grant Ginder, the author of THE PEOPLE WE HATE AT THE WEDDING, comes a poignant, funny and slyly beguiling novel that proves that, like democracy, family is a messy and fragile thing --- perfect for fans of the biting humor of "Veep," the family drama of "Succession" and the joys of Kevin Wilson’s NOTHING TO SEE HERE.
Nancy Harrison is running for Senate, and she’s going to win, goddamnit. Not that that’s her slogan, although it could be. She’s said all the right things. Passed all the right legislation. Chapped her lips kissing babies. There’s just one problem: her grown children.
Greta and Nick Harrison are adrift. Nick is floundering in his attempts to write a musical about the life of Joan Didion (called "Hello to All That!"). And then there’s his little sister, Greta. Smart, pretty and completely unmotivated, allowing her life to pass her by like the shoppers at the Apple store where she works.
One morning the world wakes up not to Nancy making headlines, but her daughter, Greta. She’s in Paris. With extremist protestors. Throwing a bottle of champagne through a beloved bistro’s front window. In order to save her campaign, not to mention her daughter, Nancy and Nick must find Greta before it’s too late.
Smart, funny and surprisingly tender, LET'S NOT DO THAT AGAIN shows that family, like politics, can hurt like a mother.
Audiobook available, read by Susannah Jones
