A luminous family saga from the Booker shortlisted author of The Rest of Our Lives

"Intricately, intimately written, with some wonderful prose and delicate dialogue."--The Guardian
"A loving and nuanced portrait of a family's myriad functions."--The New Yorker
"Utterly absorbing."--Financial Times
"A tour de force."--Sunday Times

When the four Essinger children gather in Austin for Christmas, they all bring their news. Nathan is hoping to become a Federal judge. Susie's husband has taken a job in England. Jean has asked her boyfriend and boss to meet her family. Paul has broken up with Dana, mother of their son Cal. But their parents have plans, too, and invite Dana to stay, hoping to bring the couple back together. As the week unfolds, the Essingers all face conflicts of loyalty and tensions between old families and new.

Rich, intimate, and deeply perceptive, Benjamin Markovits' Christmas in Austin beautifully explores the deep-rooted division between the world we grow up in, and the life we make for ourselves.