This Is Not About US
Fiction
Diversified Publishing · Print & ebook · February 10, 2026
NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A kaleidoscopic portrait of a modern American family—steadfast, complicated, begrudging, and loving—from the bestselling author of Isola “Wise, witty . . . a deliciously readable book [about] the delicate minutiae of family life, played beautifully, boldly, brightly in a major key.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice) “Goodman’s mature and deftly written book suggests that, in family as in art, there is no such thing as uncomplicated happiness.”—The Wall Street Journal Was this just a brief skirmish, or the beginning of a thirty-year feud?
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- Who it’s for
- Readers interested in complex family dynamics
- Themes
- family relationships, sibling rivalry, growing up and aging
- Pacing
- Reflective
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For younger readers: Some Other Now, The Judgment of Yoyo Gold, When the Angels Left the Old Country
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NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A kaleidoscopic portrait of a modern American family—steadfast, complicated, begrudging, and loving—from the bestselling author of Isola “Wise, witty . . . a deliciously readable book [about] the delicate minutiae of family life, played beautifully, boldly, brightly in a major key.”—The New York Times Book Review (Editors’ Choice) “Goodman’s mature and deftly written book suggests that, in family as in art, there is no such thing as uncomplicated happiness.”—The Wall Street Journal Was this just a brief skirmish, or the beginning of a thirty-year feud?
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In the Rubinstein family, it could go either way. When their beloved sister passes away, Sylvia and Helen Rubinstein are unmoored. A misunderstanding about apple cake turns into a decade of stubborn silence. Busy with their own lives—divorces, dating, career setbacks, college applications, bat mitzvahs and ballet recitals—their children do not want to get involved. As for their grandchildren? Impossible. With This Is Not About Us, master storyteller Allegra Goodman—whose prior collection was heralded as “one of the most astute and engaging books about American family life” (The Boston Globe)—returns to the form and subject that endeared her to legions of readers. Sharply observed and laced with humor, This Is Not About Us is a story of growing up and growing old, the weight of parental expectations, and the complex connection between sisters—a big-hearted book about the love that binds a family across generations.
Who it’s for
- Readers interested in complex family dynamics
- Book club readers exploring multigenerational relationships
Where it sits
| Sibling Stories | 81% |
|---|---|
| Jewish Fiction | 58% |
| Multigenerational Family Stories | 47% |
Percentages are BookFrontier’s reading of the book.
Publisher categories
- Literary Fiction
- Family Life
- Multigenerational Family Stories
- Authors
- Allegra Goodman
- Publisher
- Diversified Publishing
- Published
- February 10, 2026
- Format
- Print & ebook
- Theme
- family relationships · sibling rivalry · growing up and aging
- Reading lane
- Literary Fiction