Reese Witherspoon has selected Beck Dorey-Stein’s Spectacular Things as the July pick for her popular book club.
Dorey-Stein’s novel, published Tuesday by the Dial Press, follows Mia and Cricket, two sisters in a Maine town whose lives take different paths: Mia becomes a caregiver at an early age, while Cricket pursues her dream of becoming a soccer star.
It’s the third book from Dorey-Stein, a former teacher and White House stenographer, following the memoir From the Corner of the Oval and the novel Rock the Boat.
Witherspoon announced the book’s selection in a video on Instagram, saying, “f I had to describe this book: Sisters. Soccer. Mia and Cricket—cutest name ever. It’s about making big sacrifices for family. It’s a beautiful read. It’s really nice.”
Dorey-Stein talked about her novel on Bookmarked, the new Reese’s Book Club podcast. “Hopefully I give each character enough sympathy, but those those sibling dynamics get tricky real fast.…I think the big question in Spectacular Things is: What are we willing to give up for the people we love? And when, if ever, does that sacrifice on behalf of family edge into self-sabotage? Because love requires sacrifice, and so it’s just like, where do you find that balance?”
Michael Schaub is a contributing writer.
