A hilarious new collection of essays from New York Times bestselling author Annabelle Gurwitch
When Annabelle Gurwitch was a child surrounded by a cast of epically dysfunctional relatives
she secretly prayed that it was all a terrible mistake. Suffering from a colossal case of
family envy Gurwitch began seeking out other forms of community. If she s learned anything it
s that no matter how hard you try to escape a crazy family you just end up in another crazy
family. Using her own clan of hucksters and scam artists as inspiration Wherever You Go There
They Are unpacks and redefines our ideas of community and belonging. In her essays Gurwitch
explores family mythologies the fragility of sisterhood the rituals and rites of passage into
urban tribes the seductive charm of a cult and the spectacularly daunting search for the
community where her aging parents will spend the last chapter of their lives. With a wry wit
and healthy dose of irresistible self-deprecation Gurwitch asks: Who and what makes a family
in our modern society? Is it our blood relations the people we work with pray with our pets?
By turns hilarious and deeply moving Wherever You Go There They Are is an irreverent
laugh-out-loud examination of family both those that we join unwittingly and those we join on
purpose.
