A Better Life
Published on 17. February 2026
Book
Hardback
304 pages
978-0-00-880010-9 (ISBN)
Description
'A superb satirical novelist' WASHINGTON POST
In a provocative novel addressing contemporary immigration by the sharply observant Lionel Shriver, a New York family takes in a Honduran migrant - who may or may not be the innocent paragon she claims to be.
'An incendiary provocateur' EVENING STANDARD
'A gleeful satire on the immigration debate' THE TIMES
Gloria Bonaventura, a divorced mother of three living with her 26-year-old son Nico in a sprawling house in Brooklyn, decides to participate in a new city programme - Big Apple, Big Heart - that would pay her to take in a migrant as a boarder. Gloria is thrilled when sweet, kind, helpful Martine arrives. But Nico is sceptical. A classic live-at-home, unemployed Gen Zer with no interest in adulthood, Nico resents the indignity of moving from his self-contained basement flat and back into his childhood bedroom.
As the months go by, Martine endears herself to both Nico's sisters, while finding her way into Gloria's heart. But as Martine's disturbingly dodgy compatriots begin to show up, Nico grows only more hostile to both his mother's altruism and the 'migrant crisis' in general - though turns out to be anything but a reliable narrator himself.
In a provocative novel addressing contemporary immigration by the sharply observant Lionel Shriver, a New York family takes in a Honduran migrant - who may or may not be the innocent paragon she claims to be.
'An incendiary provocateur' EVENING STANDARD
'A gleeful satire on the immigration debate' THE TIMES
Gloria Bonaventura, a divorced mother of three living with her 26-year-old son Nico in a sprawling house in Brooklyn, decides to participate in a new city programme - Big Apple, Big Heart - that would pay her to take in a migrant as a boarder. Gloria is thrilled when sweet, kind, helpful Martine arrives. But Nico is sceptical. A classic live-at-home, unemployed Gen Zer with no interest in adulthood, Nico resents the indignity of moving from his self-contained basement flat and back into his childhood bedroom.
As the months go by, Martine endears herself to both Nico's sisters, while finding her way into Gloria's heart. But as Martine's disturbingly dodgy compatriots begin to show up, Nico grows only more hostile to both his mother's altruism and the 'migrant crisis' in general - though turns out to be anything but a reliable narrator himself.
Reviews / Votes
'Shriver keeps the tension taut throughout. There is an aspect of redemption and more than a hint of tragedy. The novel provokes and stimulates with all its twists.' SPECTATOR 'Master of the neat twist' DAILY EXPRESS 'Shriver's hard-headedness and willingness to say controversial things are refreshing' PROSPECT 'An acerbic comedian' FINANCIAL TIMES 'Shriver is brilliant' THE TIMES 'A formidably sharp writer' EVENING STANDARD 'Shriver has the gift for making one instantly curious' OBSERVER 'A writer who wants us to think more, probe more, challenge more - and who also makes it fun' SUNDAY TIMESMore details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Publishing group
HarperCollins Publishers
Dimensions
Height: 236 mm
Width: 158 mm
Thickness: 33 mm
Weight
506 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-00-880010-9 (9780008800109)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Person
LIONEL SHRIVER'S novels include the National Book Award finalist So Much for That, the Sunday Times bestseller The Mandibles, and the international bestseller We Need to Talk About Kevin, winner of the Orange Prize. A regular on multiple podcasts, she's written fortnightly columns for the Spectator since 2017. Her journalism has also appeared in the Wall Street Journal, Harper's, The Times, UnHerd, the FT, The Free Press, Spiked Online and many other media outlets.
She lives in Portugal and Brooklyn, New York.
She lives in Portugal and Brooklyn, New York.