The Little Clan

“A brilliant newcomer ... Cohen is not only a talented writer; she is an artist.”—Andre Aciman, New York Times-bestselling author of Call Me by Your Name, the novel that inspired the Academy Award-winning film

A love letter to classic literature and an illuminating look at newfound adulthood

Ava Gallanter is the librarian in residence at the Lazarus Club, an ancient, dwindling Manhattan arts club full of eccentric geriatric residents stuck in a long-gone era. Twenty-five-year-old Ava, however, feels right at home. She leads a quiet life, surrounded by her beloved books and sequestered away from her peers.

When Ava’s enigmatic friend Stephanie returns after an unplanned year abroad, the intoxicating opportunist vows to rescue Ava from a life of obscurity. Stephanie, on the hunt for fame and fortune, promises to make Ava’s dream of becoming a writer come true, and together they start a Victorian-inspired literary salon at the Lazarus Club. However, Ava’s romanticized idea of the salon quickly erodes as Stephanie’s ambitions take the women in an unexpected—and precarious—direction.

In this humorous yet keenly observant coming-of-age story, Cohen brings us into a boisterous literary world bathed in hubris and ambition. With eloquent prose and affecting storytelling, The Little Clan is both a wickedly fun yet sharply insightful look at friendship, feminism and finding yourself in your twenties.

“Like Edith Wharton in the East Village…The Little Clan is a charming, captivating read, but it’s also a witty, fiercely intelligent look at the ways women are lost and saved by dangerous friendships and literary obsessions.” —Rebecca Godfrey, author of Under the Bridge and The Torn Skirt

“The Little Clan is a glittering little wonder. By turns gorgeously lyrical, laugh-aloud funny and almost breathtakingly astute, it’s a tongue-in-cheek love letter to old books and youthful imprudence that delights to the very last word.” —Jennifer Cody Epstein, author of The Gods of Heavenly Punishment