Everything Here Is under Control : A Novel

“A tender novel about early motherhood, small-town life, and the various ways people make their families.” The Millions

“How Emily Adrian could write a book so honest and raw about the first weeks of motherhood and yet so appealing and unputdownable and—dare I say, heartwarming—is a mystery of novelistic alchemy. Nonetheless, there it levitates: light as a feather and heavy as a stone, a romantic comedy that redefines the terms of traditional romance and takes happily ever after far beyond the loss of maidenhood. Magic, addictive, brilliant fun.” Rufi Thorpe, author of The Knockout Queen

“A sharp, thoughtful, poignant look at early motherhood, a small town, and the complex, challenging, and beautiful relationships that make up our families both biological and chosen.” Lydia Kiesling, author of The Golden State

“Brutally tender, ferociously intimate, astonishingly surefooted, and deeply satisfying. Emily Adrian has crafted a multilayered story whose people—I hesitate to call them mere ‘characters’—became so real and vivid to me that I’ve thought about them long since finishing the book. An immersive, irresistible pleasure.” Chelsey Johnson, author of Stray City

“Quirky, resonant…With keen wit and affecting emotion, Everything Here Is under Control is a novel about love, family, and motherhood that balances compromises with possibilities.” Foreword Reviews

“[A] wonderful new novel…[A] precise, poignant, and thrilling story of friendship, motherhood, and the one-way road to adulthood…It’s Amanda’s emotional journey, urgent and searching, that drives the book, moving it with the pulse and pace of a thriller.” Los Angeles Review of Books

“There is so much to examine here, from the harrowing experience of new motherhood to the role of a father in an infant’s first days. Amanda’s complex relationship with Deerling, which includes her own mother, is worth noting, too, and a twist midway through the book adds great intensity to the story. But the heart of the novel is Carrie and Amanda’s friendship, with all its sorrow and joy. A perfect selection for book groups.” Booklist (starred review)

“Warm, compassionate, funny, and filled with surprises, Everything Here Is under Control is an accomplished novel by a writer to watch.” Brian Morton, author of Starting Out in the Evening and Florence Gordon

“I tore through Everything Here Is under Control in just a couple of days, compelled by its refreshingly honest portrayals of not only early motherhood but the kind of childhood friendship that shapes the rest of your life. Emily Adrian writes with such a keen and sensitive eye, and she’s funny, and she is an astute observer of human behavior. I cheered when I got to the plot twist midway through, and, even now, I can’t get this novel’s characters out of my mind.” Edan Lepucki, New York Times bestselling author of California

“Adrian’s meticulous, wry adult debut follows thirty-one-year-old new mother Amanda through her insecurities and anxieties…Adrian’s portrayal of the ups and downs of motherhood will resonate with readers.” Publishers Weekly

“A delight to read. The author seems to really understand the true sense of what it is like to be a new mother, with all the self-doubt, worry, and pure love that come along with that role…The book is easy to read, because you want to know and understand the characters better. In the end, you do understand them, and maybe understand yourself a bit better as well.” Manhattan Book Review