Things We Need

'In the Coffey house, there was always a list taped to the refrigerator. At the top, it was titled: THINGS WE NEED . The title was always capped and underlined, as if to stress that yes, this is important, these aren't just things we want, these are things we need.' Will and Weezy Coffey thought they'd prepared their three children for the challenges and hurdles of adult life. But being a grown-up isn't easy. Claire's engagement has been called off and she's hiding from her debts. Martha's in a career crisis and even her sympathetic therapist is losing patience. And Max, the baby of the family in his final year at college, has got himself into a serious girlfriend fiasco. Things We Need tells a story we all recognise, only a wittier, wiser version. Jennifer Close turns her gimlet eye and deadpan humour on the messiness of family life. A story about modern life and the place we return to when things go drastically awry: home.


Genre: Literary Fiction