Wildfire scoops a second novel from Brodesser-Akner

Wildfire will publish the second novel by Fleishman Is in Trouble author Taffy Brodesser-Akner in summer 2021. 

Long Island Compromise is a novel about an American Jewish family and its inheritance. The synopsis reads: "In 1982, wealthy businessman Carl Fletcher is kidnapped, held for ransom, then returned to his family. Carl, his wife and his kids all try to move on with their lives and resume their prized places in the ongoing saga of the American dream. But 40 years later, when Carl’s mother dies, the trauma that has been bubbling beneath the Fletchers’ lives since his ordeal begins to surface for the entire family. Finally, Carl begins to face the question that has been on his mind all these years: Where did the ransom go? And if he finds the money, can he and his family finally find the relief they’ve been craving for so long?"

Wildfire published Brodesser-Akner's debut, Fleishman Is in Trouble, in 2019. 

Senior commissioning editor Ella Gordon said: "With Fleishman, Taffy brought new meaning to the term 'Great American Novelist', and I believe Long Island Compromise will truly cement her status as one of those literary greats. I am in awe of the breadth of her skill and her imagination; she is always finding new ways to reflect our world, offering fresh insights with a humanity and clarity that is breath-taking. Long Island Compromise will be her most ambitious undertaking yet, spanning multiple generations of a middle-class American Jewish family and showcasing her extraordinary range as a writer. I can’t wait for readers to experience it next summer."

Brodesser-Akner commented: "I'm so excited for Ella Gordon and the entire team at Wildfire to publish my second novel. I didn't know that you could feel enthusiasm at this great distance the way I felt it from there for my first novel, but the warm reception from the UK was absolutely palpable to me, and I attribute that to the enthusiasm of Ella and her colleagues. This book is different, of course—it's the story of a family trying to survive a great trauma, as well as a meditation on wealth and class and the generational differences of ambition. It seeks to ask questions about success and who is better off, the children of the rich or the children who make their own fortunes. I hope you like it."

The novel will be published simultaneously in the US by PRH.