Same As It Ever Was

Julia Ames, after a youth marked by upheaval and emotional turbulence, has found herself on the placid plateau of mid-life. But Julia has never navigated the world with the equanimity of her current, privileged class. Having nearly derailed herself several times, making desperate bids for the kind of connection that always felt inaccessible to her, she finally feels, at age fifty-seven, that she has a firm handle on things.

She’s unprepared, though, for what comes next: a surprise announcement from her straight-arrow son, an impending separation from her spiky teenaged daughter, and a seductive resurgence of the past, all of which threaten to draw her back into the patterns that had previously kept her on a razor’s edge.

Same As It Ever Was showcases the consummate style, signature wit, and profound emotional intelligence. Featuring a memorably messy family and the multifaceted marriage at its heart, Lombardo introduces an unforgettable cast of characters through her singularly complicated protagonist. Same As It Ever Was traverses the rocky terrain of real life, exploring new avenues of maternal ambivalence, intergenerational friendship, and the happenstantial cause-and-effect that governs us all. Delving into the nature of relationships—how they grow, change, and sometimes end—Lombardo proves herself a true cartographer of the human heart.

Endorsements

New York Times bestselling author

"wonderfully immersive... deliciously absorbing" — NPR

"the literary love child of Jonathan Franzen and Anne Tyler" — The Guardian

"ambitious and brilliantly written" — The Washington Post