Publisher's Synopsis
Adam is a former musician and recovering alcoholic who is home for Thanksgiving for the first time in many years. Surrounded by his parents and siblings, nieces and nephews--all of whom have seen him at his worst--he can't shake the feeling that no matter how hard he tries, he'll always be the one who can't get it right.Marissa is a flight attendant whose marriage is strained by simmering tensions over race, class, and ambition. Heading to her in-laws for their picture-perfect holiday family dinner, her anxiety is intensified by the knowledge that she is pregnant from an impulsive one-night stand.In an airport restaurant on Thanksgiving morning, Adam and Marissa meet. Over the course of this day fraught with emotion and expectation, these two strangers will form an unlikely bond as they reckon with their family ties, their pasts, and the choices that will determine their way forward.Joshua Max Feldman focuses his knowing eye on one of the last bastions of classical American idealism, the Thanksgiving family gathering, as he explores our struggles to know--and to be--our best selves. Hilarious and moving, Start without Me is a thoughtful and entertaining page-turner that will leave its indelible mark on your heart.
