All We Ever Wanted

chapter one

NINA

It started out as a typical Saturday night. And by typical, I don t mean normal in any mainstream American way. There was no grilling out with the neighbors or going to the movies or doing any of the things I did as a kid. It was simply typical for what we d become since Kirk sold his software company, and we went from comfortable to wealthy. Very wealthy.

Obscene was the description my childhood best friend Julie once used ­not about us, but about Melanie, another friend ­after Melanie bought herself a diamond Rolex for Mother s Day and then offhandedly remarked at one of our dinner parties that homemade pottery from her kids wasn t going to cut it.

She could feed a Syrian refugee camp for an entire year with that watch, Julie had groused in my kitchen after the other guests had departed. It s obscene.

I d nodded noncommittally, hiding my own Cartier under the edge of our marble island, as I silently reassured myself with all the ways my watch, and therefore my life, were different from Melanie s. For one, I didn t buy the watch for myself on a whim; Kirk gave it to me for our fifteenth anniversary. For another, I had always loved when our son, Finch, made me presents and cards in his younger years, and was sad that those had become relics of the past.

Most important, I don t think I ever flaunted our wealth. If anything, it embarrassed me. As a result, Julie didn t hold our money against me. She didn t know our exact worth but had a general sense of it, especially after she d gone house hunting with me when Kirk was too busy, helping me find our home on Belle Meade Boulevard, where we now lived. She and her husband and girls were regular guests at our lake house and our home on Nantucket, just as she happily inherited my gently used designer hand-­me-­downs.

Occasionally Julie would call Kirk out, though, not for being showy like Melanie but for having elitist tendencies. A fourth-­generation silver-­spoon Nashvillian, my

Emily Giffin

Giffin is a worldwide best-selling author because she gets under your skin by creating relatable characters wrestling within believable situations. . . . Giffin crafts an unpredictable page-turner that unfolds in the voices of three superbly distinct characters. . . . Her latest . . . is destined for greatness. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

A gripping, thought-provoking journey. Jodi Picoult

Page-turning . . . Timely and thought-provoking, it s Giffin s best yet. People

Giffin s novel has style and substance . . . . Truly excellent." The Washington Post

If you re looking for a book club selection, All We Ever Wanted is bound to spark meaningful and meaty discussions. The Augusta Chronicle

A page-turning exploration of wealth and privilege. Entertainment Weekly

Stellar. . . an excellent page-turning story . . . a nuanced, thoughtful take on family and social dynamics. Publishers Weekly (starred review)

A compelling family story that brings up plenty of issues ripe for book group discussions. Library Journal

"A timely and absorbing portrait of the complexities of modern life . . . This is Emily Giffin at her very best." Kristin Hannah

Nina Browning has it all: the handsome husband, the Ivy-League-bound teenage son, and the big house in the Nashville suburbs. But with one unthinkable social media post from her beloved child, could it all fall apart? Dealing with issues of class, money, and race, All We Ever Wanted is the book everyone will be talking about. PopSugar

This thought-provoking novel follows two Nashville families as they struggle with the fallout from a horrible incident. Their wealthy community quickly becomes divided, with people eager to assign blame and take sides as the families struggle with loyalty and staying true to their values. It's one of Giffin's most topical, gripping books yet.