Skip to content
Responsive image
Vendor
Fletcher Agency
Yona Levin
Original language
English

THE REAL MRS. TOBIAS

THE REAL MRS. TOBIAS is a warm and witty novel about the special, complicated relationships between mothers and daughters-in-law and the web of family that we weave together.

 

Set in New York City and rural Iowa, the story keenly observes the dynamics between three generations of Tobias women. Melanie, a therapist in her 40s, is the linchpin of the family, set on keeping the peace despite rocky relationships with her mother-in-law Veronika, a haughty, intimidating psychiatrist, and her own daughter-in-law Birdie, who resents Melanie’s meddling ways.

 

When an accident threatens to wreck Birdie’s shaky marriage to Melanie’s son, Micah, and Birdie flees New York City with her daughter (and Melanie’s beloved granddaughter) in tow, the Tobias family is tested like never before. And as the older generation of the family face troubles of their own, Melanie is forced to reevaluate her relationships to both her mother and daughter-in-law and her rethink what it means to be a family. Crisply written with equal parts heart and humor, THE REAL MRS. TORBIAS is a modern family saga for readers of THE NEST by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney, ALL ADULTS HERE by Emma Straus, and THE THREE WEISSMAN’S OF WESTPORT by Cathleen Schine.

 

Sally Koslow’s last novel was ANOTHER SIDE OF PARADISE, which recreates the iconic love affair between F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sheila Graham. She has written five other contemporary novels, including THE LATE, LAMENTED MOLLY MARX, a European bestseller, and SLOUCHING TOWARD ADULTHOOD, a work of non-fiction. Her books have been published in fourteen countries.

Available products
Book

Published by Harper Perennial

Comments

I love mother-daughter stories, so I was delighted to see Koslow’s ingenious new focus on mothers and daughter-in laws! Told by three vivid women all sharing the same family name--the matriarch, her daughter-in-law and then the next daughter-in-law--this is such a profound, powerful and smartly funny story that it made me reappreciate my own mother-in-law , even as if let me live through this oh-so-important relationship through this amazing book. Deeply original, about the bonds that break—and remake female relationships, The Real Mrs. Tobias is the real deal.

--Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You


"Wry, knowing, and devastatingly insightful, The Real Mrs. Tobias illuminates the precarious bond between mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law. United by their love of the same men, three very different women struggle for control of their relationships and their lives in Sally Koslow’s riveting novel. I nodded in agreement and laughed out loud though the whole book, and walked away with fresh insights into my life as a mother-in-law, a daughter-in-law, and a woman.

- Pamela Redmond, author of Younger


“With a shrewd eye and a light touch, Sally Koslow weaves a story about three strong women whose memories, dreams, and desires conflict and intersect as they navigate a series of family crises. Warm, witty, and heartfelt, THE REAL MRS. TOBIAS is a cinematic, fast-paced treat.”

-Christina Baker Kline, New York Times bestselling author of eight novels, including The Exiles and The Orphan Train

Four generations of the Tobias family take center stage in the latest from Koslow (Another Side of Paradise, 2018). Social worker Melanie Glazer is used to running interference between her imposing mother-in-law, Veronika, and the rest of the family, which seems to be growing more dysfunctional every day. Mel’s father-in-law is showing early signs of dementia; her daughter has decided to have a baby with her flighty girlfriend; and her son Micah’s marriage is on the rocks, thanks to a drunk-driving accident. When Micah’s wife flees to her Iowa hometown with their daughter, Mel worries that this could be the end of her close relationship with her preschool-age granddaughter. The point of view alternates with each chapter, but only Mel’s chapters are written in first person, giving the reader a sense of camaraderie with Mel as she navigates her complicated family. Koslow shapes all of these moving parts into a compelling family drama, rich in insight and detail and honest in its depiction of women’s roles as family caregivers. Fans of Ann Patchett and Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney will feel right at home with the Tobias family.

EVENTS

Sep 14 / MIGHTY BLAZE / National Online / LINK

Sep 14 / PowerHouse Arena / Brooklyn, NY / LINK

Sep 20 / BARNES & NOBLE / New York, NY / LINK


PRINT / Online

Aug 01 / BOOKLIST / Review / Link

Sep 09 / BOOKREPORTER.COM / Round-up / LINK

Sep 12 / FRESH FICTION / Feature / LINK

Sep 13 / NOVELS ALIVE / Review / LINK

Sep 13 / READING BETWEEN THE WINES / Excerpt & Giveaway / LINK

Sep 13 / WRITER'S DIGEST / Essay / LINK

Sept 13  / DEBORAH KALB BLOG / Q&A / LINK

Sep 14 / LITHUB / Reading List / LINK

Sept 14  / BookTrib / Q&A / LINK

Sep 15 / Woman's World / Round-up / Link


Television

Sep 12 / NBC “6 IN THE MIX” / Book Club Pick / LINK