Our Take

Jenny Jackson, a longtime editor at Knopf, brings an insider's understanding of literary craft to this sparkling debut that feels like Gossip Girl for grown-ups. What makes Pineapple Street so compelling is Jackson's refusal to simply mock the ultra-wealthy—instead, she creates three dimensional female characters whose struggles with identity, belonging, and purpose resonate regardless of tax bracket. The novel's greatest strength lies in its portrayal of Sasha, the outsider who married into money and must navigate the invisible rules of old money culture while maintaining her sense of self. Jackson writes with warmth and humor about the small humiliations and unexpected joys of family life, capturing the peculiar intimacy and alienation of living among people whose history you'll never fully share. The Brooklyn Heights setting practically becomes another character, rendered with loving specificity that will delight locals and charm everyone else. Readers who devoured Kevin Kwan's Crazy Rich Asians or enjoyed the family dynamics in Emma Straub's The Vacationers will find much to love here. For anyone fascinated by class, family loyalty, or the comedy of manners tradition—think a modern Jane Austen with a 718 area code—Pineapple Street is pure pleasure reading that's also surprisingly insightful about wealth, privilege, and what we owe each other.