It’s finally time! Kathleen West is the first of this year’s Debs to step out onto the ballroom floor! Minor Dramas & Other Catastrophes hits shelves Tuesday, February 4th.
The book is a wry and cleverly observed debut novel about the privileged bubble that is Liston Heights High—the micro-managing parents, the overworked teachers, and the students caught in the middle—and the fallout for each of them when the bubble finally bursts.
When a devoted teacher comes under pressure for her progressive curriculum and a helicopter mom goes viral on social media, two women at odds with each other find themselves in similar predicaments, having to battle back from certain social ruin.
Ahem! Sounds delicious!
This past Friday the Star Tribune in Minneapolis described the book this way:
“Minor Dramas” is a biting, oh-no-she-didn’t commentary on the age-old pressures of academia, amplified by modern-day social media. Lest you think the whole scenario seems over the top, look no further than the Hollywood-adjacent Operation Varsity Blues, a true story of helicopter parenting and over-compliant teachers gone horribly wrong. This book might be fiction, but you can bet it’s all happening right here in “Liston Heights.”
And here’s what Booklist had to say:
“A cutting and witty examination of modern parenting that excels in suburban relatability, West’s debut novel will pique the curiosity of fans of Maria Semple’s Where’d You Go, Bernadette? and Jean Hanff Korelitz’s Admission.”
Kathleen has gotten many more accolades you’ll find on her website. I’m so excited for the rest of the world to be able to step into the fictional community that Kathleen has created and get to know her characters, some they may grow to love to hate, and perhaps, love all over again.
Her readers also have a chance to get to know Kathleen herself. She’s got an impressive author tour that kicks off February 4th. I’ve made plans to meet up with her when she comes to the Boston area on February 12th for a book signing and reading at Belmont Books in Belmont, MA.
So congratulations to Kathleen! Enjoy the release, and then get some well-earned rest.
Enter our launch week giveaway! All readers who comment on any of our launch posts this week and/or who follow the Deb Ball on FB, on Twitter, or on Instagram and comment about the launch on those platforms will automatically be entered to win a signed-by-the-author copy of the very first 2020 Debutante Ball release, Minor Dramas and Other Catastrophes! Or, y’know, just go ahead and buy the book)
