This year’s Community Reads book comes from the author of The Plot (adaptation forthcoming from Hulu, to star Mahershala Ali), You Should Have Known (which aired on HBO in October 2020 as The Undoing, starring Nicole Kidman, Hugh Grant and Donald Sutherland) and Admission (adapted as a film in 2013 starring Tina Fey).

The Latecomer, Korelitz’s latest, follows the story of the wealthy, New York City-based Oppenheimer family, from the first meeting of parents Salo and Johanna under tragic circumstances to their triplets born during the early days of IVF. As children, the three siblings feel no strong familial bond and cannot wait to go their separate ways, even as their father becomes more distanced and their mother more desperate. As the triplets prepare to leave for college, Johanna, faced with being truly alone, makes the fateful decision to bring a fourth child, “the latecomer,” into the world.

A complex novel that builds slowly and deliberately, The Latecomer touches on grief and guilt, generational trauma, privilege and race, traditions and religion, and family dynamics. Rave reviews are already pouring in from outlets including the New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Good Morning America, PEOPLE and Oprah Daily.

Come early for the 6 p.m. reception and also have a chance to win a “Book Club Starter Kit.” You do NOT have to be in a book club to win or enjoy.

For those ordering the book, pick-up is at the JCC (6701 Hoover Road, Indianapolis, IN 46260). Please bring your proof of purchase (Eventbrite confirmation) with you.

This is a Jewish Book Council program. Korelitz will be interviewed by local author Barbara Shoup.