#32 [2024/CBR16] Pineapple Street by Jenny Jackson

I found Pineapple Street (2023) by Jenny Jackson when I was looking for another audiobook for my commute. I probably first saw it on NPR's Favorite Books, but I can't remember at this point. My brother lives in Brooklyn, and I thought it would be interesting to read a book set in his neighborhood. This book has love, heartbreak, class divisions, and humor. I enjoyed it much more than I was expecting.

Sasha is a normal New York City artist who has married into the Stockton family--a family with a lot of money. The three children grew up with trust funds and in a completely different world than Sasha. Sasha certainly had her own privileges, but there is a world of difference between middle class and the Stockton family. Her husband, Cord, works with his father and they are very close. His older sister, Darley, gave up her trust fund to marry her genius of a husband Malcolm without a prenup. His younger sister, Georgiana, works at a nonprofit and never worries about money because everything is always paid for.

I wholly related with Sasha while reading this book, especially in the beginning. She is a nice person and a fun character. She does her best to fit in with the stuffy Stockton family, but they make it very difficult. Cord's sisters, Darley and Georgiana, judge Sasha for not acting appropriately in their luxe world, and they call her a gold digger. At the same time, Cord's parents offered Cord and Sasha their fully furnished brownstone. It's a beautiful home, but Sasha isn't comfortable there and can't change anything in it.

Darley and Georgiana have their own storylines as well. Georgiana falls for a man at her work. She's had a huge crush on him forever, and after making a fool of herself in front of him a couple of times (one of which made me laugh out loud in my car), they begin to play tennis together. ***SPOILERS*** It wasn't long after that, they were having a passionate affair. And it was an affair, because Georgiana soon learns that the man she's in love with is married. ***END SPOILERS***

Darley has her own problems when a nepo baby at her husband's company messes up a business deal and her husband is fired. After never worrying about money and giving up her trust fund before she married, she is suddenly in a position where she might not have enough. And now she can see how her rich, entitled set uses subtle racism and classism to exclude others, including her Asian husband.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I started listening to this book, but I really enjoyed it. The Brooklyn neighborhood was real, the characters felt real, and the book made me feel real emotions. Georgiana and her mother could make me wrench my hair out they were so annoying at times, but I could also usually see where they were coming from. The novel does a good job in exploring in-law relationships, feminism, motherhood, and class. Recommended.