So Old, So Young (2026) is a novel by Grant Ginder. The novel traces the lives and relationships of six close friends over the course of roughly 20 years. Throughout their lengthy friendship, Mia Hoffmann, Marco Bernardi, Richie Fournier, Adam Parker, Nina Guzman, and Sasha Karlsson-Lee try to maintain their connections as they date new people, move between cities and states, change jobs, marry, and have children. They come together every few years to celebrate major life events, each time questioning how they have changed and whether their original connections are still relevant to their evolving identities. The novel explores The Tension Between Chosen Family and Individual Identity, Romantic and Professional Rivalry Within Close Circles, and Time as a Test of Bonds Between People.

Ginder is the author of numerous works of fiction. He is best known for his 2017 novel The People We Hate at the Wedding. He received his MFA from New York University, where he now teaches creative writing.

This guide refers to the 2026 Scout Press hardback edition of the novel.

Content Warning: The source text and this guide feature depictions of sexual content, cursing, emotional abuse, physical injury, substance use, addiction, mental illness, pregnancy loss, pregnancy termination, and death.

Plot Summary

So Old, So Young is divided into six sections, each set in a different geographical location and temporal era. The following summary mimics the structure of the text for the sake of clarity.

In Part 1, Mia Hoffmann travels from London to New York City in 2024. On the flight back West, Mia muses on her friendships with Marco Bernardi, Richie Fournier, Adam Parker, Nina Guzman, and Sasha Karlsson-Lee. She studies old photos on her phone in anticipation of seeing her friends again in New York.

In Part 2, the narrative shifts into the past. On New Year’s Eve in 2007, Mia, Marco, Adam, Nina, and Sasha attend a party at Richie’s house. Mia feels awkward, regretting letting Sasha drag her to the event. Then she strikes up a conversation with Richie’s new roommate, Marco. Marco also feels out of place at the event because he only recently moved to the city and is still adjusting to his new life there. He likes Mia and seeks her out over the course of the evening.

Meanwhile, Adam plays a drinking game with Sasha and worries that he was too enthusiastic when Richie invited him to the party. He and Richie have hooked up a few times, but their relationship remains undefined. Richie, meanwhile, wanders through the party, trying to decide if he should leave early and go to the club instead. He changes his mind when he, Sasha, and Adam end up smoking marijuana together. Just before midnight, Mia and Marco head out to the bodega for more mixers and ice. They end up kissing on the street.

In Part 3, the narrative shifts ahead in time to 2014. Seven years later, the characters find themselves coming back together for their mutual acquaintance Courtney’s wedding in Cancún. Mia feels particularly uncomfortable because Courtney seated her at the same table as her ex-boyfriend, Marco, and his new girlfriend, Emily. She and Marco broke up over three years prior when Marco unexpectedly took a job in Washington, DC. Mia and Marco were in love, but Mia wasn’t ready to move in with Marco and make such a big life change. She tries to act normal around him but finds herself musing on what could have been if they had stayed together.

Meanwhile, Richie does cocaine and drinks heavily, becoming increasingly agitated and belligerent as the night wears on. Adam tries to intervene when Richie starts bullying Nina but becomes frustrated with Richie’s predictable antics. The two only recently got back together, and Adam wonders if he made the right decision.

Before the end of the night, Mia dumps a drink on her dress, and Emily rushes to her aid. Mia wants to believe her intentions are pure but finds herself distrusting Emily.

In Part 4, the narrative shifts to 2018. This time, the friends reunite in Amagansett to celebrate both Richie’s 35th birthday and the Labor Day holiday. Adam rents a house, and they spend time swimming, making dinner, and playing lawn and party games together. Mia shows up with her new boyfriend, Lev. Although Marco is there with Emily and their daughter, Ava, Mia feels more confident than usual. However, as the night wears on, she starts to wish she hadn’t brought Lev.

Meanwhile, Marco and Emily get into an altercation over childcare. Marco ends up caring for Ava alone in an upstairs room while the others remain outside. Sasha then breaks off from the group and heads inside, where she finds Adam making dinner. She vents to him about her husband Theo Wingate’s job loss and his irritating inability to pull himself back together for the sake of their family. Then she wanders off and finds another mutual acquaintance, Mitch Reynolds, in the den. They touch and kiss. Although they’ve been having an affair for some time, Sasha worries one of her friends will find out if they’re not careful.

Meanwhile, Nina regrets her decision to invite herself to the party after hearing about the event on social media. No one is treating her kindly, and she feels like an outsider as usual. She wanders around in search of the bathroom and ends up walking in on Sasha and Mitch while they are having sex. Mitch leaves, and Sasha opens up to Nina about the difficulties of marriage and parenthood.

Later, the friends play a game together. A newly sober Richie is feeling positive until he notices Adam and his AA friend Rami cuddling up on the couch. He steps outside for a smoke and muses on his disappointment.

In Part 5, the narrative shifts to 2022. The friends come back together in Montclair, New Jersey, for Sasha and Theo’s family Halloween party. Mia arrives with Adam and Richie, with whom she’s been spending most of her time since breaking up with Lev last year. She is excited to see Sasha, as she’s recently realized how much she misses their friendship. She is also looking forward to going to Miami with Sasha, a trip she has been planning for some time now. 

At the party, however, she learns that Sasha is backing out of the trip because she is going to DC to support Emily, who is experiencing marital difficulties with Marco. Mia confronts Sasha, and an altercation ensues. Adam and Richie get involved. A drunk Richie reveals that Sasha had an affair with Mitch. Furious, Sasha demands that her friends leave. Outside, Richie and Mia team up against Adam, insisting he always treats them as moral inferiors.

In Part 6, the narrative shifts back to 2024. The characters are all back in New York for Adam’s funeral. He died suddenly of a rare genetic disorder, not long after having had a child with his partner, Rami. At the funeral service and repast, the friends remember their friendship together and muse on how much they have all gone through as a group. They make amends and look ahead to the future.