In her heart, Nina Goldman knows that beauty is only skin deep. But as a teenager growing up in Akron, Ohio — with her larger-than-life father Artie, a colorblind carpet salesman and frustrated musician — the only thing Nina wishes for is...to be beautiful. Or at least normal. As if having such an eccentric dad wasn't enough, Nina has another issue to face: the mirror. Born with a strawberry birthmark over her eye, Nina spends countless hours applying makeup and trying out ridiculous hairstyles designed to hide her eye. Convinced that her birthmark is the only reason she's not popular and can't find a boyfriend, Nina must find other ways to survive high school.
Renee Rosen's Every Crooked Pot will send Nina on a string of crazy exploits that have her riding in dryers and appearing on TV. Through it all, Nina proves she'll do just about anything to fit in, and even more in the hope of finding love.
"Every Crooked Pot is a funny, heartfelt, and beautifully perceptive novel. In her insightful character study, Renée Rosen takes the reader deep inside the heart and mind of a delightfully real protagonist. In her spirited portrayal of an ordinary - yet improbable - American family, Rosen illuminates great unspoken truths about young women, about daughters, and about all families."
Adrienne Miller, author of The Coast of Akron
"It's so tempting to compare Renée Rosen's debut to similar auspicious literary starts - Anna Quindlen's Object Lessons comes to mind - but that would be doing the book a disservice since Every Crooked Pot stands in a class by itself. Populated with vivid characters, at the center of which is resilient heroine Nina Goldman, this bittersweet novel will lift hearts while at the same time making read
Lauren Baratz-Logsted, author of Angel's Choice
"Every Crooked Pot is a beautifully nuanced tale about an extraordinary family and even more extraordinary young woman. Not since Myla Goldberg's Bee Season has a first novel so deftly captured the complexities, joys, and frustrations of daughters and their families. It's hard to believe this is a debut - Rosen's voice is already as good as it gets. Keep an eye out for this rising star."
Sara Gruen, New York Times bestselling author of Water for Elephants
