The Latecomer

*A New York Times Notable Book of 2022*
*A Washington Post Notable Work of Fiction*
*An NPR Best Book of the Year*
*A New Yorker Best Book of 2022*

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Plot, Jean Hanff Korelitz’s The Latecomer is a layered and immersive literary novel about three siblings, desperate to escape one another, and the upending of their family by the late arrival of a fourth.

The Latecomer follows the story of the wealthy, New York City-based Oppenheimer family, from the first meeting of parents Salo and Johanna, under tragic circumstances, to their triplets born during the early days of IVF. As children, the three siblings – Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally – feel no strong familial bond and cannot wait to go their separate ways, even as their father becomes more distanced and their mother more desperate. When the triplets leave for college, Johanna, faced with being truly alone, makes the decision to have a fourth child. What role will the “latecomer” play in this fractured family?

A complex novel that builds slowly and deliberately, The Latecomer touches on the topics of grief and guilt, generational trauma, privilege and race, traditions and religion, and family dynamics. It is a profound and witty family story from an accomplished author, known for the depth of her character studies, expertly woven storylines, and plot twists.

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Published May 31, 2022

448 pages

Average rating: 8.29

7 RATINGS

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Community Reviews

thenextgoodbook
Sep 04, 2025
10/10 stars
thenextgoodbook.com
What’s it about?

This book centers on the Oppenheimer family. Salo Oppenheimer is involved in a tragedy that colors his life. When he marries Johanna he attempts to move forward but even the birth of triplets fails to touch him. The triplets- Harrison, Sally, and Lewyn lack for nothing, and yet they never seem to connect to each other- or to other people. Events change and so do the Oppenheimers.

What did it make me think about?

What causes that invisible, unexplainable connection to other people?

Should I read it?

This was a thoroughly appealing family story. All about how we connect (or fail to connect) to the people around us. The author manages to get in lots of social satire about the world we live in- at the same time the narrator is weaving a very engaging tale of a struggling family. I do not want to give anything away but I highly recommend this one!

Quote-

“Their mother, as long as Lewyn could remember, had hoarded and imbued with great significance such tiny moments, all while seeing so little of who the three of them actually were.”
Harrietaspy
May 04, 2025
6/10 stars
An epic family story. Overwhelming in the details but I'm glad I read it

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