A Most Anticipated Book of the Summer according to... the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Review of Books, and Chicago Magazine 

ADVANCE PRAISE FOR THE GOSSIP COLUMNIST’S DAUGHTER

“Masterfully written, funny, often achingly moving, The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter confronts us with at least two central questions: how much of our own daily fumblings in life are passed down to us? And how, precisely, does one learn to love and be loved anyway? There’s more here too, of course – the seductive power of celebrity, the ties that should bind but do not – but I’ll let you discover these on your own as you treat yourself to this truly unforgettable novel. If there is a more daring and original narrative voice in contemporary American fiction than Peter Orner’s, then I don’t know whose it is.” —Andre Dubus III 

“The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter is exquisitely conceived, vast in its reach, and tender in its mercies. Orner is, quite simply, one of the finest writers of our time.” —Marisa Silver, author of Little Nothing and Mary Coin

“Has there ever been a more Chicago novel? ... It's a blast.” -- Christopher Borelli, Chicago Tribune

“In this episodic tale of two families, a work of exquisite emotional distillation, Orner again draws on memories of growing up Jewish in Chicago by fictionalizing the story of the city’s long-running gossip columnist . . . In brief, atmospheric, psychologically intricate chapters, Orner evokes the mid-twentieth-century zeitgeist and the present while charting the highs and lows of ambition, fame, and clout.” —Booklist (starred review) 

“Broken families are an Orner specialty . . . So is artful prose, which he’s displayed in a pair of excellent memoirs about his favorite writers. Playing to his strengths, he weaves old-school boldface-type journalism and the stubborn persistence of family secrets.” —Mark Athitakis, Los Angeles Times, A Best Book of Summer 

“Days after JFK’s assassination, Cookie Kupcinet—daughter of Chicago newspaper legend Irv Kupcinet—was found dead in her Hollywood apartment. Orner tells this infamous true story through the voice of a fictional narrator, who becomes fixated on the murder as his life in Chicago unravels.” —Kelley Engelbrecht, Chicago Magazine, Summer's Required Reading 

“A wild ride and an immersive Chicago novel, in which the town threatens to toddle off its axis.” —Kirkus Reviews 

“Over the course of the sprawling and sharply fragmented narrative, Jed spins indelible stories of his grandfather’s legal troubles, Solly’s untimely death, his parents’ divorce, and his painful separation from his partner. Eventually, he lands on a satisfying solution to the mystery. It’s a rewarding literary experiment.” —Publishers Weekly 

“In The Gossip Columnist's Daughter, Peter Orner draws on his apparently endless reserves of heart, wit and intelligence to examine the mysterious rupture of a friendship between two couples, one of which happens to have been the grandparents of the novel's appealing, beleaguered hero. A beautifully written, moving, unforgettable book.” —Francine Prose 

“Time and time again, Peter Orner has gifted us doors into worlds that remind us, no matter our differences, how connected we are to each other and how much farther we need to traverse to be better. With his first novel in fifteen years, Orner continues to surprise and guide: this is fiction that captures so perfectly a family’s mysteries, secrets, and history; and in doing so, captures the story of our country. It’s also one of the finest stories on the ever-complex topic of friendship—and the importance of friendship—I have ever read. Which is to say: here is a friend for you, when you need it the most.” —Paul Yoon, author of Run Me to Earth and a National Book Foundation 5 Under 35 Honoree 

“The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter is a monumental tapestry stitched from history’s scraps: neighborhood rumors, family legends, and unsolved mysteries. It’s a novel about the secrets we keep, the answers we seek, the unfinished business of the pasts we inherit. Peter Orner has already cemented his reputation as one of the great chroniclers of life in Chicago. With The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter he has become one of the great chroniclers of life full stop.” —Anthony Marra, New York Times bestselling author of Mercury Pictures Presents and A Constellation of Vital Phenomena 

“The Gossip Columnist’s Daughter is a fascinating fictional account of a real-life tragedy that captures a Chicago that has largely disappeared. A must-read for anyone interested in Chicago, the underworld, show business, and the important role of gossip columnists during the period between World War Two and the 1960s.” —Dominic A. Pacyga, author of Chicago: A Biography