Based on the synopsis, and specifically this sentence - "As Mikkel indoctrinates Reuben with ever more depraved stunts, Reuben senses something is seriously amiss" - I was expecting a strange, twisted, or even depraved read. This was not that.

This is a literary fiction with unlikeable characters discussing their jobs, relationships, desires and motivations, and going back and forth about a character's inoperable medical diagnosis - whether the diagnosis is correct, why the friend isn't taking it seriously, if they should get a second opinion, etc.

We alternate between married couple Reuben and Cecilie's points of view. They've recently had a baby and are on vacation in Denmark. (The newborn and parenting take up a surprisingly small amount of this book). I was intrigued by Reuben's intoxication with Mikkel and their strange dynamic/relationship, but it never went in the direction I was hoping, and I was ultimately left a little bored. The cover and synopsis are a bit deceptive in my opinion.

I would recommend this to someone who likes literary fiction that is just following characters as they discuss their lives, relationships, desires, etc., where there isn't a strong plot moving the story along. This reminded me style/vibe wise of Evenings & Weekends by Oisin McKenna, and Sally Rooney.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy for review.

Honestly, in the beginning of this book I thought it would give me a reading slump, but thankfully it didn't!! And it actually turned out to be very entertaining!
"Something rotten" gives an interesting take on masculinity and honesty, guilt and responsibility, love and friendship in times of tragedy.
There are some surprising twists in this book which I loved.

Thank you NetGalley and Farrar, Straus and Giroux for this ARC.

Something Rotten left me confused and angry and I think that is the right reaction to this novel. The characters feel authentic and when they do terrible and shitty things and act like they are morally right it just sits in your gut. Rueben has been cancelled and jobless for two years and has become the de facto caretaker of the house and the newborn baby. Once he arrives in Denmark for the summer he immediately becomes sucked into the web of lives of his wife's old friend Mikkel and begins to question the ideas of masculinity and his own place there. Cecilie is grateful to be off of work for some time but herself becomes caught up in her the sudden illness of her ex-boyfriend Jonas.

These characters pissed me off so much and yet I needed to know what happened next. It was an interesting look at these political themes of masculinity, cancel culture, and European vs American beliefs.

I'm genuinely sad to say that this just wasn't my cup of tea.
After starting off SO strong, it went downhill for me when the focus shifted to politics and the differences between countries for too long. I really enjoyed the additional perspective at first, but over time it became confusing (a "me" thing maybe, that's okay) and/or so tangential I lost the determination/curiosity to finish it out.

The humor and sincerity were definitely there though, so I ended up purchasing The Vegan and am really excited to give that a try instead.

Not a very helpful review since it didn't outright dislike it, sorry!
Just know it does require thinking and doesn't maintain a tone as funny as the cover & synopsis would suggest. Or did to me.

The dedication is precious from what I saw on Instagram though (the DRC didn't have it filled in yet, totally fine!!), so at the very least give that a gander.

Because this feels like way more of a "me" problem than the book's, I'm not going to carry this review over to GR, IG or Storygraph. I don't think it's fair to Andrew.
{Thank you bunches to NetGalley, Andrew Lipstein and FSG for the DRC in exchange for my honest review!}

This started out so good then devolved into something really silly and trite. The twist was obvious but well written but I found myself hating every single character in this book by the end. Plus, I have a bit of a problem with a man writing a woman character in the way that this author chose ... it was supposed to be a commentary on masculinity but was still misogynistic. Still, well written and if you like this author, you will probably enjoy this one!

Something Rotten comes out next week on January 21, 2025 and you can purchase HERE.

But therapy also taught her that the word itself, closure, was absurd; healing did not come from a cessation of feelings, but from understanding they would never end.

Delighted to include this title in the January edition of Novel Encounters, my column highlighting the month’s most anticipated fiction for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national lifestyle and culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)

Definitely not for me. Characters were so full of themselves and pretentious. Can’t wait to get out of the city on vacation (with a baby) then instead of taking care of painful (oops I forgot my breast pump) breast milk problems decide to go out on the town drinking with fiends ? What kind of decisions are these? I could not imagine being around these people in real life.

Cecile and Rueben, a thoroughly unlikeable couple who have removed themselves to Cecile's native Denmark after he was canceled in New York, alternately narrate this tale of unpleasant people. Honestly, I know that not every character has to be someone you'd enjoy a coffee with but really- Mikkel is loathsome. I struggled with this and ultimately DNF. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. Over to Lipstein's fans.

An addictive read full of complicated relationships and the merging of past and present. I deeply enjoyed getting to know the characters, the tone of the novel sat well with me, and the pace was perfect. I also loved the hyper -specific details about Copenhagen and Danish culture. Will definitely be checking out Lipstein’s other work!

Something Rotten by Andrew Lipstein, publishing on Jan 21, 2025.
The first thing that pulled me toward the book was the cover. Lipstein's other books have been on my radar for a few years, but this would be the first. The book follows Cecilie and Reuben as they flee from NYC to Denmark.
The book has an edge to it. The writing explores marriage, infidelity, morality, culture, and what it takes to have a family in 2025. I didn't love this book, but it has some moments of glory. The writing is edgy and I can see this book being for certain people. Overall, 3/5.

What a strange, well written book. I feel like every emotion came screaming off the page. I love reading about unlikable characters so I absolutely inhaled this one.

Mildly surreal story of a man who gets pulled into a Danish MRA's orbit via his wife's childhood friend shortly after he is cancelled for sexual harassment and fired from his NPR job. Shows the seductiveness of these views and the folks behind them, and how it's usually nominally women pulling the men out kicking and screaming. Fun winter read, comes out in Feb

Cecilie and Reuben are a young, professional New York couple working in journalism. However, after Reuben has been canceled from his NPR job, Cecilie is now the sole breadwinner while Reuben stays home taking care of their firstborn. Neither one of them is particularly happy with the situation. Reuben fulfills his parental duties but doesn't particularly enjoy them; Cecilie, who is Danish,  always feels slightly different, even in multicultural New York. Being fed up with tedious yet exhausting everyday activities, they go to Denmark for vacation and to reunite with Cecilie's family and friends.

But, as the title smartly suggests, taking from a famous line from "Hamlet," something is rotten in the state of Denmark. At first, they are both excited, tasting the new freedom without constantly having their baby in tow.  Cecilie meets her friends and feels she can speak the same language as others - finally! Reuben befriends Mikkels, a high-level journalist, and is strangely fascinated by Mikkel's persona. It's almost like a high school nerd suddenly finds the most popular guy who, inexplicably, wants to hang out with him.
 
When the reader figures out that this novel will deal with the traditional male model and perhaps with integrating into a new community and even a new country, Andrew Lipstein brings a significant moral dilemma. Another one of Cecile's friends, Jonas, has been diagnosed with a rare disease, but he refuses any treatment, and the only person he listens to is Mikkel. How far can one go to change the behavior and even the life of another person? What would be best for our friends? Should we lie and cheat to make them understand how wrong they are?

This is Andrew Lipstein's second book, which I read after "The Vegan," and I'm very impressed with how good a writer he is. Even though I know Cecilie and Reuben would never become my friends in real life because neither side would want it, I understand them well and can relate to their problems. There is also a feeling of loneliness and need for other people, the constant hunger for acceptance, permeating "Something rotten," which is hard to forget. I'll be thinking about this insightful novel for a long time.

Andrew Lipstein, author of THE VEGAN, returns with SOMETHING ROTTEN with such a great cover that I knew I had to request this.

An American dad and Danish mom and headed back to Denmark for a postponed parental leave for a few months with their newborn in tow. They find out that one of the mom's (Cecilie's) close circle of friends has bee diagnosed with a life threatening diagnosis.

The whole book throws into question morality - there's questionable behavior on multiple fronts some more egregious than others. Then there's the dynamic of an American perspective vs a Danish perspective and how a singular individual can be immoral in an otherwise society of well-meaning, social conforming group that tends to stick to the flock than deviate.

I found myself entirely engrossed in what was happening - you'll follow from both sides of the couple's POV and wonder when and how shit's going to hit the fan because you know it's coming.

While there was no momentous life-changing idea ultimately exposed by story's end the dynamics at play between masculinity, American and Danish culture, conforming and sociopathic behavior was teased out well in such a way that I really enjoyed my time with this one.

Cecilie is a fed-up New York Times reporter, and her husband, Reuben, is a disgraced former NPR host and grudging stay-at-home dad. Neither can wait to spend the summer in Copenhagen, Denmark, Cecilie’s hometown. But their vacation begins to turn inside out as soon as they land: Cecilie’s first love, Jonas, has been diagnosed with a rare, fatal illness. All of Cecilie’s friends are desperate to get him help—that is, except for Mikkel, a high-powered journalist who happens to be the only one Jonas will listen to, and whose influence quickly extends to Reuben.

This started off very strongly, and immediately hooked me in and, while I will admit my interest did start to falter about halfway through, it still kept me coming back all the way to the end; it was also a very quick read, and the writing was great and incredibly captivating. There's something so confusing to me about this, because I didn't even care about the characters all that much, but the story itself was what got me, and it was definitely enough, which is unusual for me. The characters were still very interesting to me, in the sense that all of them were so incredibly frustrating and flawed and honestly very awful at times, but it made them feel real. The story can get so incredibly frustrating, and it definitely is not for everyone, but it's definitely a very thought-provoking one that can spark many conversations.

Many thanks to Farrar, Straus and Giroux for the eARC. All opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this but couldn’t get into it. So many characters and shifts in perspective that it was hard to keep up!

Not my favorite book I read but I didn't hate it. Back half was way more compelling than the beginning.

Couldn’t seem to get into this one. I liked how it flipped between Reuben and Cecilie’s point of view, but all the characters seemed to blend together. I didn’t find myself wanting to pick this one up. The plot seemed to be intriguing so with the right reader this could work well.

I absolutely loved this book. I thought it was something new and original that not many authors are doing anymore. Definitely a must read!

I loved this book. The talent of Andrew Lipstein is really hard to miss. The writing flows beautifully and the descriptions are vivid. I highly recommend this one.