Standard Deviation

Praise

Washington Post 50 Notable Works of Fiction the Year • Kirkus Best Debut Novels of the Year • Kirkus Best Fictional Families of the Year • Minnesota Public Radio Best of the Year • A Skimm Reads Pick

“A funny, bittersweet story of marriage, full of regrets and temptations.” 
—People

“Katherine Heiny marries wit and wonder in Standard Deviation.“ 
—Sloane Crosley, Vanity Fair

“The Vacationers meets Nora Ephron. Warning: you will laugh in public.” 
—The Skimm

“Katherine Heiny’s debut novel is not only one of the funniest books you will ever read, but true and poignant, too. And Audra is one of the most memorable characters ever to leap from the pages of a book.” 
—John Harding, The Daily Mail

“Warmhearted… Dishes up amusing riffs on marriage, misfits, and finicky eaters, plus some wonderfully on-target descriptions… Explores the complexities and ambivalences that color even our most central relationships… This book is about a marriage under stress—though Heiny keeps it bubbly, evoking the smart, stylish wit of Laurie Colwin, Nora Ephron, and Maria Semple… [She] clearly has what it takes to join the elite coterie of witty social satirists who turn out smart, lively charmers.”
—Heller McAlpin, NPR

“Audra Daltry is a singular creation—a character so funny, so appealing, so sure that she can change the world for her family that she will jump right off the page and take up permanent residence in your heart. Standard Deviation is a marvel.” 
—Kate Atkinson, author of Life After Life

“Wonderful… It is easier to catalog this novel’s individual sly charms than it is to nail down the essential, quicksilver thing that makes it such a success.” 
—Lydia Kiesling, The New York Times Book Review

“Wonderful… To spend 300-plus pages with Heiny’s wry voice and colorful cast of characters is to love them, truly. An amusingly engaging take on long-term marriage with a lovably loopy character at its center.” 
—Kirkus, starred review