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Bitterfeld
Carver Novack has spent eighteen years trying to forget about Scott McCaffrey.
He built a hotshot career in private equity. He married a woman who’s just as ambitious as he is, and way more ruthless. He could have run away with the free-spirited Scott the summer after high school — and he wanted to. Instead, he went to Duke and became the man he thought could finally win over his cold WASP parents. They’ve always favored his siblings over him, and despite his best efforts, they still do.
Now Carver is 36, and wildly successful at everything except pretending not to be miserable.
Then an invitation arrives: Carver and his wife Lillian are expected in his hometown of Bitterfeld in Westchester County for his cousin Letty’s lesbian wedding.
Even worse, Letty’s called in a decades-long favor: Scott, now a moderately successful rock guitarist, is providing the music.
Half a lifetime ago, Carver and Scott parted on bad terms. At first they orbit each other with raw tension, but it doesn’t take long for them to start remembering what they had together. And Scott has some questions, like: "Why didn’t you come with me to California?" and "Do you regret that decision the way I do?"
As the weekend drags on, Carver finds himself desperate to make all the wrong choices. Lillian, who’s not only his wife but also his business partner, starts wondering exactly what his problem is. At the same time, old tensions in Carver’s dysfunctionally repressive family are coming to a head. It turns out he has more common ground with his siblings, and more reasons to resent his parents, than he ever knew.
He built a hotshot career in private equity. He married a woman who’s just as ambitious as he is, and way more ruthless. He could have run away with the free-spirited Scott the summer after high school — and he wanted to. Instead, he went to Duke and became the man he thought could finally win over his cold WASP parents. They’ve always favored his siblings over him, and despite his best efforts, they still do.
Now Carver is 36, and wildly successful at everything except pretending not to be miserable.
Then an invitation arrives: Carver and his wife Lillian are expected in his hometown of Bitterfeld in Westchester County for his cousin Letty’s lesbian wedding.
Even worse, Letty’s called in a decades-long favor: Scott, now a moderately successful rock guitarist, is providing the music.
Half a lifetime ago, Carver and Scott parted on bad terms. At first they orbit each other with raw tension, but it doesn’t take long for them to start remembering what they had together. And Scott has some questions, like: "Why didn’t you come with me to California?" and "Do you regret that decision the way I do?"
As the weekend drags on, Carver finds himself desperate to make all the wrong choices. Lillian, who’s not only his wife but also his business partner, starts wondering exactly what his problem is. At the same time, old tensions in Carver’s dysfunctionally repressive family are coming to a head. It turns out he has more common ground with his siblings, and more reasons to resent his parents, than he ever knew.
422 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 14, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
February 17, 2026
The first half of this book is some of the best writing I’ve read in a while. Very Kazuo Ishiguro; so much tension and no one is acknowledging it, there’s so many little subtleties and you can really see the skill; it’s torturous in the best way. Carver’s primal fear and shame around his parents hit me so hard and I shed a few tears during the climax.
The resolution stretched out a little too long, and the ending was a bit too optimistic for my taste. But other than that honestly a really incredible book that’s going to stay on my mind for a long while. Thank you Seneca!
The resolution stretched out a little too long, and the ending was a bit too optimistic for my taste. But other than that honestly a really incredible book that’s going to stay on my mind for a long while. Thank you Seneca!
February 19, 2026
Interesting
I am a bit perplexed by this story. It is a good story but it feels very much like a soap opera. It felt dramatic at times and crazy dramatic in others. It definitely had some steamy moments. There was a lot of details that maybe could have been left out but at times it felt real. Overall, I liked it but though.
I am a bit perplexed by this story. It is a good story but it feels very much like a soap opera. It felt dramatic at times and crazy dramatic in others. It definitely had some steamy moments. There was a lot of details that maybe could have been left out but at times it felt real. Overall, I liked it but though.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews