Let Nothing You Dismay

Uproarious…one of the funniest writers around. –The New Yorker

Tad Leary has problems. Just fired from his job at a Manhattan private school, about to be evicted from his sublet, and stalled on his dissertation ( Social Hierarchies of Imaginary Places ), he wakes up on the Sunday before Christmas to realize he has seven parties to attend.

A trooper in jeans and a pressed white shirt, he sets off for brunch with his eccentric family, an afternoon performance-art piece by a friend sporting little more than a tattooed goatee, a dinner party where he runs into an ex-girlfriend, a late-night soiree where he spars with an ex-boyfriend, and more. With a charming combination of wit, wisdom–and just a little whimpering–Tad charts a survivalist’s course through Manhattan’s social hierarchies.

A delight…. By turns zany and meditative, satirical and mellow…a gently bittersweet comedy. –Newsday

A wise, hilarious stocking stuffer. –The Village Voice