Claire Messud

The Woman Upstairs (Vintage Contemporaries) Claire Messud Reprint edition

A New York Times Book Review Notable Book ? A Washington Post Top Ten Book of the Year ? A Chicago Tribune Noteworthy Book ? A Huffington Post Best Book ? A Boston Globe Best Book of the Year ? A Kirkus Best Fiction Book ? A Goodreads Best Book

Nora Eldridge is a reliable, but unremarkable, friend and neighbor, always on the fringe of other people?s achievements. But the arrival of the Shahid family?dashing Skandar, a Lebanese scholar, glamorous Sirena, an Italian artist, and their son, Reza?draws her into a complex and exciting new world. Nora?s happiness pushes her beyond her boundaries, until Sirena?s careless ambition leads to a shattering betrayal. Told with urgency, intimacy, and piercing emotion, this New York Times bestselling novel is the riveting confession of a woman awakened, transformed, and abandoned by a desire for a world beyond her own.