A Better Life: A Novel

by Lionel Shriver

In a provocative novel addressing contemporary immigration by the sharply observant Lionel Shriver, a New York family takes in a Honduran migrant—who may or may not be the innocent paragon she claims to be.

Gloria Bonaventura, a divorced mother of three living with her 26-year-old son Nico in a sprawling house in Brooklyn, decides to participate in a new city program that would pay her to take in a migrant as a boarder. Liberal to the extreme, Gloria is thrilled when sweet, kind, helpful Martine arrives. But Nico is skeptical. A classic live-at-home Gen Zer with no interest in adulthood, Nico resents any interruption of his “hovercraft repose.”

As the months go by, Martine endears herself to both Nico’s sisters, while finding her way into Gloria’s heart and even, briefly, Nico’s. But as Martine’s disturbingly dodgy compatriots begin to show up, Nico conceives a dark twin hostile to both his mother’s altruism and the “migrant crisis” in general—and turns out to be anything but a reliable narrator himself. 

Based loosely on a program New York City Mayor Eric Adams floated but did not initiate, A Better Life is Lionel Shriver at her smart, funny, and sensitive to the moral nuances of perhaps the most divisive issue of our times. 

304 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication February 10, 2026

About the author

Lionel Shriver's novels include the New York Times bestseller The Post-Birthday World and the international bestseller We Need to Talk About Kevin, which won the 2005 Orange Prize and has now sold over a million copies worldwide. Earlier books include Double Fault, A Perfectly Good Family, and Checker and the Derailleurs. Her novels have been translated into twenty-five languages. Her journalism has appeared in the Guardian, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. She lives in London and Brooklyn, New York.

Author photo copyright Jerry Bauer, courtesy of Harper Collins.

Reviews

[Rachelle]

I requested the arc because I'd read several books by this author and enjoyed them years ago. Did not realize it would be full of far-right, anti-immigrant rhetoric. Not the book for me.

[Adrian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A truly fascinating read.

I was given Shriver’s A Better Life from NetGalley and HarperCollins Press in exchange for an honest review.

Shriver’s book is very much satirical and terrifying in its scope. The better life in question is for Martine, a Honduran immigrant who moves in with the Bonaventura family, the comprised life is of potential incel, Nico, the protagonist of this book. Across 14 taut chapters, we explore an ensemble of characters in a America Vs the ‘guests’ type of narrative.

I caught humour, intrigue and tension and felt bemusement, anger and frustration as the complex story advanced. While I struggled to agree with the trajectory of the characters, the dialogue and sense of hopelessness was consistent and fully-realised. The motives of Nico's mother, the 'bleeding-heart liberal' and Martine, a woman who may or may not be who she seems is particularly intriguing to explore. While I don't think this book should be read as a treaty for a one-size-fits-all view of illegal immigration, it does indicate that the worse case scenario of the Big City, Big Heart initiative, had it happened could have caused very dark things to happen.

I strongly advise people to read this very unique book, the third I’ve read by Shriver. She is a literary talent, completely unafraid to go to places other authors wouldn’t go. This was a terrifying book that I can’t imagine rereading, however, while reading, I was captivated, horrified and continually thinking that this would be the ideal book for a book club session the moment it’s published.

[Jamad · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found A Better Life to be a characteristically sharp and provocative Lionel Shriver novel, though one that left me admiring the ideas more than the execution.

Rather than offering a neat plot-driven narrative, the book is best understood as a satirical examination of contemporary attitudes to immigration and moral responsibility. Shriver sets opposing worldviews against each other and uses exaggeration and irony to test their assumptions. Her writing contrasts the bleeding-heart liberal position with a hard-line, Trumpian anti-immigration stance, skewering the blind spots and hypocrisies of both. No side emerges unscathed, and that even-handedness is one of the book’s strengths.

I enjoyed the way Shriver pokes fun at moral certainty and highlights the practical and ethical difficulties that sit at both ends of the political spectrum. The novel is at its best when it forces the reader to sit with uncomfortable questions rather than offering reassurance or easy answers.

That said, the satirical impulse sometimes overwhelms character and narrative momentum, which made the book feel more like an extended argument than a fully realised novel. I found it stimulating and frequently amusing, but also uneven.

Overall, A Better Life is thoughtful and challenging, and it succeeds as a piece of social commentary, even if it does not entirely satisfy as a work of fiction. A solid three stars for its intelligence and willingness to provoke.

[Lucy Ellis-Hardy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve read a few Lionel Shriver books before and have enjoyed them, so I was keen to read this advance copy from NetGalley and the publisher. This is a satirical novel centred on asylum seekers. An American family takes in an immigrant from Honduras under a new city programme called “Big Apple, Big Heart.” There are themes of empathy, family conflict, unemployment and motivation, as well as trust.

It’s important to remember that this is deliberately provocative fiction. The pacing felt a little slow at times, but for readers who enjoy long, detailed character development, this will work well. The book made me feel a whole range of emotions; often irritated or annoyed, but I think that was very much the intention.

I did enjoy it, and I think it would make an excellent book club choice because there’s plenty to discuss.

[Stephen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very much a late Shriver book, it could have been interesting if she’d written it when she was in her prime, but it is better than her last effort.

The characters aren’t given any inteririorty and there is no attempt to create a sense of place so the writing ends up being an extended political argument. This could have worked better if new ideas were added to the discussion or the plot was less predictable.

Having said that once I got into the rhythm of it I did enjoy the prose but I don’t think this will live long in the memory.

Thanks to NetGalley and the Borough Press for the arc

[Kerry · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a complex story. Nico is an intel and Martine, a Honduran immigrant moves in with the Bonaventura family. Shriver captures the interiority of the characters, the frustrations of the characters, too. It's a novel that deals with illegal immigration as a theme, and without giving the plot away, if you've read any Shriver novels, you'll know this is literary fiction. It's thought-provoking and isn't afraid to tackle complex issues head-on. I loved it but I can see that some might find it a difficult read. My thanks to NetGalley and to the publishers for the ARC.

[Roger · Rating 3 out of 5]

Better than the last one, but still not up to her old standards.
I skipped large parts that became very repetitive but disliked the end with no resolution.
But I suppose that sums up the problem....

[Tina Panik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed for Library Journal; full review appears there.

This was an ARC.

[Shazzie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Promising, but it needs to be done better. Preach in book form.
I received a review copy from the publisher.