Four of a Kind A Novel

Once a month, four New York City moms forget about shaky marriages, rebellious children, and rocky careers-and place a bet on friendship. Besides the fact that their kids all attend the same fashionable Brooklyn Heights private school, Bess, Robin, Carla, and Alicia have little in common. Thrown together on the tony school's Diversity Committee, the women impulsively turn their awkward first meeting into a boisterous game of poker. Instead of betting with chips or pocket change, however, they play for intimate secrets about their lives. Soon enough, virtual strangers are transformed into close confidantes. As the Diversity Commitee meetings become a highly anticipated monthly ritual, the new friends reveal more with each game. Appearances deceive. Picture-perfect housewife Bess struggles to relate to her surly teenage daughter and judgmental mother. Robin, a bohemian single mom, grapples with the truth concerning her child's real father. Carla, an ambitious African American doctor, attempts to balance the colossal demands of her family with her dream of owning her own private practice. And to distract herself from her troubled marriage, shy copywriter Alicia fantasizes about an attractive younger colleague. Putting all their cards on the table, the four women grow to rely on one another, bracing for one final showdown. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Valerie Frankel received critical acclaim for her bestselling memoirs, Thin Is the New Happy and It’s Hard Not to Hate You. She is the author of fifteen novels, including The Accidental Virgin, and is a journalist much in demand. Her writing has appeared in O: The Oprah Magazine, Allure, Self, Good Housekeeping and The New York Times, among others. She lives in Brooklyn Heights with her two daughters, four cats, and husband, opera singer Stephen Quint.