A diverse group of New Yorkers are brought together by the search for a missing woman—in this electric novel of secrets, connection, and community.
“Cinematic, preternaturally humane, and absolutely unputdownable—I just loved it.”—Claire Lombardo, People “What Your Favorite Authors are Reading This Summer”
“Riveting.”—Charmaine Wilkerson, New York Times bestselling author of Black Cake
Brooklyn, 2020. Theo Harper and his pregnant wife, Darla, head upstate to their summer cottage to wait out the lockdown. Not everyone in their upscale Park Slope building has this privilege: not Xavier, the teenager in the Cardi B T-shirt, nor Darla’s best friend, Ruby, and her partner, Katsumi, who stay behind to save their Michelin-starred restaurant.
During an upstate hike on the aptly named Devil’s Path, Theo divulges a long-held secret—and when Darla disappears after the ensuing argument, he finds himself the prime suspect. As Darla’s and Theo’s families and friends come together to search for her, with Ruby and Katsumi stepping in to broker peace, past and present collide with startling consequences.
Set against the pulse of an ever-changing city, The Rich People Have Gone Away connects the lives of ordinary New Yorkers to tell a powerful story of hope, love, and inequity in our times—while reminding us that no one leaves the past behind completely.
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"Exquisitely drawn characters, scenes that jump off the page, and international locales that’ll make you want to pack a bag and go: The Rich People Have Gone Away is a novel that fearlessly defies conventions to deliver a satiating, five-star experience. A keen observer of people and class, Regina Porter has crafted an inventive, hilarious, and wholly unpredictable work full of vibrant prose and genuine tenderness. . . . A seven-course meal that gets better and better."
— Mateo Askaripour, New York Times bestselling author of Black Buck
The Rich People Have Gone Away is wildly intelligent, brilliantly crafted, prismatic, living and breathing—a remarkable feat of sensation and humanity. Regina Porter is a marvel.
— Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever HadA lush study of relationships, keen on the particulars of vast human catastrophes.
— Raven Leilani, New York Times bestselling author of LusterRegina Porter has written another marvel of a novel. The Rich People Have Gone Away gives the reader a spiraling cross section of richly drawn, impeccably observed New Yorkers. . . . A kind of masterpiece of human portraiture that simultaneously renders quintessential depictions of the city, of America, and of the whole world in these first fraught decades of the twenty-first century.
— Paul Harding, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Tinkers and National Book Award finalist This Other EdenA glorious jambalaya of word, thought and feeling, Regina Porter’s prose positively howls from the page. Just when you thought you didn’t need another novel set in New York, you suddenly, desperately do.
— Gary Shteyngart, New York Times bestselling author of Our Country FriendsA lush study of relationships, keen on the particulars of vast human catastrophes.
— Raven Leilani, New York Times bestselling author of LusterRegina Porter trains her panoramic lens on lockdown New York in The Rich People Have Gone Away, an arresting novel of race, class, food, music, and family as thrilling and dynamic as the city itself.
— Andrew Ridker, author of HopeA glorious jambalaya of word, thought, and feeling, Regina Porter’s prose positively howls from the page. Just when you thought you didn’t need another novel set in New York, you suddenly, desperately do.
— Gary Shteyngart, New York Times bestselling author of Our Country FriendsA layer cake of suspense. Regina Porter has created a vibrantly alive portrait of several generations of New Yorkers as they fearlessly stake their anchors in the rippling sea of our era.
— Kashana Cauley, author of The SurvivalistsAffecting, astounding and wholly humbling. . . Porter weaves beauty and humor with pathos, in prose that is winding, prescient and profound. She shows us worlds inside of worlds—of queerness, of love and relationships, of who we are and who we’re told to be—crafting a narrative that is both precise and thunderous. The Rich People Have Gone Away moves and transcends. We’re so lucky to have it.
— Bryan Washington, author of Family MealRegina Porter’s wit and astute eye for detail made me want to both underline and inhale every line in the same breath. An immersive examination of the human condition in the face of tragedy and triumph.
— Zakiya Dalila Harris, author of The Other Black GirlAn arresting novel of race, class, food, music, and family as thrilling and dynamic as the city itself.
— Andrew Ridker, author of HopeA delight. . . Regina Porter is a writer of such wit, warmth and profound intelligence. Her indelible characters leap from her imagination to ours.
— Margot Livesey, author of The Road to BelhavenAffecting, astounding, and wholly humbling . . . Porter weaves beauty and humor with pathos, in prose that is winding, prescient, and profound. She shows us worlds inside of worlds—of queerness, of love and relationships, of who we are and who we’re told to be—crafting a narrative that is both precise and thunderous. The Rich People Have Gone Away moves and transcends. We’re so lucky to have it.
— Bryan Washington, author of Family MealRegina Porter’s wit and astute eye for detail made me want to both underline and inhale every line in one breath. . . . An immersive examination of the human condition in the face of tragedy and triumph.
— Zakiya Dalila Harris, author of The Other Black GirlA delight . . . Regina Porter is a writer of such wit, warmth, and profound intelligence. Her indelible characters leap from her imagination to ours.
— Margot Livesey, author of The Road from BelhavenRegina Porter weaves beauty and humor with pathos, in prose that is winding, prescient, and profound. She shows us worlds inside of worlds—of queerness, of love and relationships, of who we are and who we’re told to be—crafting a narrative that is both precise and thunderous. The Rich People Have Gone Away moves and transcends. We’re so lucky to have it.
— Bryan Washington, author of Family MealA masterpiece of human portraiture that simultaneously renders quintessential depictions of the city, of America, and of the whole world in these first fraught decades of the twenty-first century.
— Paul Harding, author of This Other EdenWith its exquisitely drawn characters, scenes that jump off the page, and international locales that’ll make you want to pack a bag and go, The Rich People Have Gone Away is a novel that fearlessly defies conventions. Regina Porter has crafted an inventive, hilarious, and wholly unpredictable work full of vibrant prose and genuine tenderness.
— Mateo Askaripour, author of Black BuckRegina Porter’s wit and astute eye for detail made me want to both underline and inhale every line in one breath. . . . An immersive examination of the human condition in the face of tragedy and triumph.
— Zakiya Dalila Harris, author of The Other Black GirlA layer cake of suspense and a vibrantly alive portrait of several generations of New Yorkers as they fearlessly stake their anchors in the rippling sea of our era.
— Kashana Cauley, author of The SurvivalistsWildly intelligent, brilliantly crafted, prismatic, living and breathing—a remarkable feat of sensation and humanity.
— Claire Lombardo, author of The Most Fun We Ever HadA glorious jambalaya of word, thought, and feeling . . . Just when you thought you didn’t need another novel set in New York, you suddenly, desperately do.
— Gary Shteyngart, author of Our Country FriendsA delight . . . Regina Porter is a writer of such wit, warmth, and profound intelligence. Her indelible characters leap from her imagination to ours.
— Margot Livesey, author of The Road from BelhavenA lush study of relationships, keen on the particulars of vast human catastrophes.
— Raven Leilani, author of LusterRiveting . . . The Rich People Have Gone Away mines the delicate and treacherous terrain in which human relationships and social divisions are rooted.
— Charmaine Wilkerson, author of Black Cake[The Rich People Have Gone Away] is cinematic, preternaturally humane, and absolutely unputdownable—I just loved it.
— Claire Lombardo, People, “What Your Favorite Authors Are Reading This Summer”Be the first to write a review about this audiobook!
William DeMerrit is a voice talent and AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator.
Shayna Small is an actress, singer, and educator based in New York, where she received her BFA in Drama from the Juilliard School. She has worked across a variety of media including theater, film and tv, music and voice-over.