The Griffin Sisters' greatest hits A novel

Weiner is at her best when she's writing about sisters, and her latest (after The Breakaway, 2023) features a memorable pair. Beautiful, calculating Zoe and fat, ungainly Cassie rely on each other to make music: Cassie can't sing without Zoe, and Zoe knows she's nowhere near as talented as Cassie is. They are discovered at a Battle of the Bands in early 2000s Philadelphia, the first time they'd even sung together in public, and from there it's a whirlwind, starting with the record label setting them up with songwriter Russell D'Angelo. With alternating chapters set in 2024 and told from the perspectives of Zoe, now a suburban housewife; her daughter, Cherry, an 18-year-old aspiring musician; and Cassie, who shuns music and society in remote Alaska, readers know it doesn't end well, but the slow unfolding of events is page-turning and heartbreaking. Weiner explores the treatment of public women in the early aughts as Zoe and Cassie navigate fame in different ways, but that's just window dressing (compelling window dressing, but still) for a story about the ways those closest to us can hurt us the most deeply, the destructive power of guilt, and the rough road to forgiveness. This is an irresistible, multigenerational tale from a master of her craft. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Weiner's highly anticipated latest combines complicated nostalgia for the early 2000s with a compelling family drama, and fans will gobble it up.

In the early aughts, two sisters start a band that catapults them to fame and tears them apart. Zoe Grossberg always wanted to be a famous pop star--but it was her sister, Cassie, who had the voice everyone noticed. While Zoe longed for the spotlight, though, Cassie never wanted to be seen, hiding behind her piano and under layers of clothing. Cassie's voice couldn't be hidden quite so easily, and eventually the sisters were discovered, signed to a label, and promoted as The Griffin Sisters. In the early 2000s, they were as famous as any teen pop star, but they only produced one album before breaking up. Twenty years later, the sisters don't speak and have completely different lives. Zoe is a housewife in New Jersey while Cassie is secretly living in Alaska, where no one knows she can sing. But when Zoe's daughter, Cherry, starts pursuing her own singing career, she tries to hunt Cassie down. She discovers more than just Cassie--she uncovers the entire history of the band, including the truth behind what happened to Russell D'Angelo, the bandmate who came between her mother and aunt. Weiner deftly explores the pop landscape of the early 2000s, when public body-shaming was even more prevalent than it is now. Zoe and Cassie are both realistic and flawed characters, each with their own challenges. Zoe knows that although she's the prettier sister, she'll never be talented like Cassie, and Cassie struggles with the size of her body and longs to hide from the audience, despite her miraculous voice. Theres's a compelling and dramatic love triangle here, too, but the true love story is between two sisters and their music. A heartfelt look at sisterhood, forgiveness, and the courage it takes to follow your dreams. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.