Modern Lovers

Set in the Ditmas Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, the story follows two families whose lives have been entangled since their college days at Oberlin. Elizabeth Marx, a local real-estate agent, and her husband Andrew Marx, who has drifted through various careers, live three doors down from Zoe Kahn-Bennett, Elizabeth's best friend since freshman year. In college, Elizabeth, Andrew, Zoe, and their friend Lydia Greenbaum formed a band called Kitty's Mustache. Elizabeth wrote the lyrics to their signature song, "Mistress of Myself," which Lydia later recorded as a solo artist. Lydia became famous, then died of a drug overdose at twenty-seven, turning the song into a cultural touchstone. More than two decades later, the royalty checks still help sustain both families.

The novel opens in June at a neighborhood book club meeting at Zoe's house. After the guests leave, Elizabeth shares news: A film studio wants to make a biopic about Lydia and needs the rights to the song, along with the former bandmates' consent. Andrew refuses, viewing the project as a commodification of their youth. Zoe, in turn, reveals that she and her wife, Jane Kahn-Bennett, the chef at their restaurant Hyacinth, are seriously considering divorce. Elizabeth offers to help with the real-estate logistics if Zoe decides to sell the house.

Ruby Kahn-Bennett, Zoe and Jane's seventeen-year-old daughter, has just graduated from high school after deliberately sabotaging her college applications. She is signed up for a summer SAT prep course she resents. Harry Marx, Elizabeth and Andrew's gentle, introverted sixteen-year-old son, has nursed a crush on Ruby for years. At Ruby's graduation ceremony, Dust, a nineteen-year-old skater Ruby is trying to break up with, shows up uninvited and argues with her. Harry impulsively tackles Dust to protect Ruby, earning Ruby's attention for the first time.

Harry and Ruby begin sitting together in SAT prep, and Ruby starts to see Harry as a summer project. She discovers boxes of Kitty's Mustache memorabilia in the Marxes' guest room and convinces Harry to list rare band photographs on eBay. When Elizabeth traces the missing photos to Harry and Ruby, Andrew calls Zoe in a fury. Ruby is forced to return the photos and apologize, straining relations between the families.

Andrew, adrift without a career, discovers EVOLVEment, a communal yoga and wellness center on a nearby street run by a charismatic younger man named Dave. Drawn to its calm atmosphere, Andrew begins attending classes, meditation groups, and late-night dance parties Dave calls "cosmic trances." He spends most of his days there, while Elizabeth grows uneasy about his absence.

The biopic remains a source of conflict. Naomi Vandenhoovel, the film's persistent producer, calls Elizabeth repeatedly, arguing that the movie will inspire young women. Elizabeth visits Naomi's office and meets Darcey Lemon, the actress cast as Lydia, whose resemblance to the real Lydia is startling. Moved by the experience, Elizabeth signs her own consent form and forges Andrew's signature, rationalizing the act as routine family paperwork.

Harry and Ruby's relationship deepens. Harry plans a beach outing at the Rockaways and later takes Ruby to an empty house his mother is listing, where they share their first kiss. After attending a concert at the Barclays Center where the band covers "Mistress of Myself," they have sex in a Prospect Park playground and are caught by park police. Both sets of parents are called to the precinct. Andrew blames Ruby; Jane accuses Elizabeth of looking down on their family. Andrew forbids Harry from seeing Ruby.

Zoe and Jane's marriage begins to show signs of recovery. Their couples therapist, Dr. Amelia, encourages them to have fun together, and a date to a Chinese restaurant in Sunset Park leads to their first physical reconnection in months. The tentative reconciliation is tested when a fire breaks out in Hyacinth's garden one night, damaging the outdoor dining area and parts of the interior. Ruby, who has been working as a hostess, alerts the fire department in time to save the building.

Andrew sinks deeper into EVOLVEment. Dave pitches him on the Waves, a planned hotel and wellness retreat in the Rockaways. Andrew invests $100,000 from his family trust and another $50,000 directly to Dave. Elizabeth, growing suspicious, enlists Harry and Ruby to investigate. Ruby attends a yoga class under a fake name and befriends Lena, a young resident who reveals that Dave is a former child actor with a talent for extracting money from people.

The crisis arrives when Naomi brings Darcey to the Marxes' house unannounced. Andrew opens the door, sees what looks like Lydia's face, and faints. Naomi presents photocopied pages from Lydia's personal diaries containing detailed accounts of a sexual affair between Lydia and Andrew during college. Elizabeth is devastated. Andrew admits the affair but insists it predated their marriage. In flashback, he recalls the encounters and the relief he felt when Lydia died because his secret was safe, a guilt he has carried ever since. Elizabeth tells him to sleep at EVOLVEment and climbs into the bathtub fully clothed, turning on the cold water.

Elizabeth calls Zoe in a panic and takes a train to Montauk, where Zoe and Jane have rented a small beach house. Over grilled fish and wine, Elizabeth tells them about Andrew's affair. She also confesses, for the first time, that she and Zoe had a near-romantic encounter at Oberlin, when Zoe kissed the back of her neck while they watched a movie. The next morning, Zoe confirms she remembers and kisses Elizabeth gently on the mouth, a gesture of friendship rather than romance.

Events resolve in rapid succession. The city denies the rezoning for the Waves hotel. Police raid EVOLVEment for selling kombucha without a license and for drugs on the premises. When officers question Dave about Andrew, Dave denies knowing him, and Andrew realizes he has been conned. Ruby learns from Dust's new girlfriend, Sarah Dinnerstein, that Dust deliberately set the fire at Hyacinth. Ruby is furious but decides not to go to the police.

Rather than pursuing a divorce, Zoe presents Jane with plans for Hot + Sweet, a new gourmet bakery in Ditmas Park. Jane is thrilled, and Elizabeth helps them find a space. In therapy, Jane raises her long-standing concern that Zoe's intense friendship with Elizabeth functions as an emotional alternative to their marriage; the couple commits to addressing the issue directly.

Elizabeth and Andrew attend couples therapy, using a session gifted by Zoe and Jane. Elizabeth tells Andrew she wants time to record music and travel alone, asserting her independence. On the train from Montauk, she has already written three new songs. Andrew compliments her songwriting and her mothering. Their future remains uncertain but open.

Harry buys Ruby a small ring with a black stone and proposes. Ruby declines, telling him she has signed up for a three-month sailing program on Mexico's Baja California peninsula. Harry is heartbroken but accepts. Ruby tells him she loves him, and they spend their remaining time together, including an ill-fated attempt to bleach Harry's hair that ends with him shaving his head.

An epilogue told through newspaper clippings and reviews sketches the characters' futures over several years. The Lydia biopic is released to positive reviews. Hyacinth reopens, and Hot + Sweet opens nearby; Zoe and Jane remain married. Kitty's Mustache reunites for a festival performance, and Elizabeth releases a solo album called Modern Lovers. Ruby opens a pizza shop in Tulum, Mexico, and Harry writes a thesis novel at Brown University inspired by the summer's events. Andrew volunteers as a youth basketball coach.