Olympus, Texas: A Novel

Weaving elements of classical mythology into a thoroughly modern family drama, this novel follows the Briscoe family as prodigal son March returns home and with his arrival, marriages are upended and even the strongest of alliances are shattered.
A boisterous, big-hearted, thoroughly modern family saga, in the spirit of Meg Wolitzer's The Uncoupling or Curtis Sittenfeld's ELIGIBLE, in which marriages struggle, rivalries flare, and secrets explode, all with a clever wink toward classical mythologyThe Briscoe family is once again the talk of their small town when March returns to East Texas two years after he was caught having an affair with his brother's wife. His mother, June, hardly welcomes him back with open arms, and is no stranger to infidelity herself; she's tired of being the long-suffering wife thanks to her husband's many affairs. Within days of March's arrival, someone is dead, marriages are upended, and even the strongest of allies are divided. In the end, the ties that hold them together might be exactly what drag them all down. The Briscoes must reckon with their choices, their capacity for forgiveness, and the confines of family. An expansive tour de force, Olympus, TX combines the archetypes of Greek and Roman mythology with the psychological complexity of a messy family. After all, at some point, we all wonder: What good is this destructive force we call love?