The Limits: A novel By Nell Freudenberger

"The Limits" follows the intertwining lives of three characters undergoing profound transformations over a single year. Pia, a teenager from Mo’orea, arrives in New York City to live with her father, Stephen, and his new wife, Kate. Fluent in French and intellectually precocious, Pia is a product of her parents' disparate lives – her father's consuming work as a surgeon in a busy hospital and her mother's relentless efforts to save Polynesia's coral reefs. As COVID thrusts Pia and Kate into near-total isolation, tensions rise between the rebellious teenager and her struggling stepmother.

Kate, a New York City schoolteacher, grapples with her inability to connect with Pia, whose privilege and capacity for destruction unsettle her. Meanwhile, one of Kate's students, Athyna, cares for her nephew while navigating the challenges of finishing school online. Athyna's anxieties about leaving her Staten Island community intensify, culminating in a desperate desire to escape.

As the lives of Pia, Kate, and Athyna collide, they spiral towards parallel tragedies, reflecting issues of nation, race, class, and family. The novel shifts between the simmering rage of French Polynesia against colonial oppression and the stark inequalities of twenty-first century New York City. Through poignant storytelling, the author explores themes of human intimacy amidst societal challenges, weaving a narrative that is both heart-wrenching and humane.

"The Limits" is a profound work that captures the complexities of modern life, offering a compelling examination of the human condition and the struggle for connection and understanding in a world marked by division and inequality. 📚❤️