“The Invaders is a gut punch of a novel—a scathing look at privileged people trapped by their own choices, but unable to imagine an alternative to their misery. Karolina Waclawiak is a remarkable writer, able to channel the unflinching clarity of Richard Yates, the off-kilter tenderness of Cheever, and taut narrative energy of crime fiction in a voice that is all her own.”
– Tom Perrotta, author of, The Leftovers and Little Children
“Seamlessly blending literary and genre traditions, Karolina Waclawiak never fails to surprise, delight, and reveal secrets that lesser writers keep hidden. I love her work, and I'm already waiting for the next book.”
– Sara Gran, author of, Claire DeWitt and the City of the Dead
“A blazing wonder of a novel . . . As whip-smart and cunning as it is poignant and mysterious, The Invaders demonstrates that Waclawiak’s masterful debut novel, How to Get into the Twin Palms, was just the beginning.”
– Megan Abbott, author of, Dare Me
“Karolina Waclawiak’s The Invaders is the stiffest of literary drinks—it’ll jolt your system, and make the world around you glow a little differently when you’re done with it. Witty, dark, and honest, this novel tells the hard—but hilarious—truths about aging in America, dysfunctional relationships, and suburban vices.”
– Jami Attenberg, author of, The Middlesteins
“The Invaders is as crisp as they come, hilarious and alarming in equal measure. This book is a time bomb in madras shorts, ready for golf, sex, and natural disasters.”
– Emma Straub, author of, The Vacationers and Laura Lamont’s Life in Pictures
“A wonderfully fierce novel, from a brilliant and essential talent.”
– Laura van den Berg, author of, The Isle of Youth and Find Me
“A witty, vicious, and entirely moving portrait of privilege, alienation, and sexual invisibility set in a Connecticut beach community.”
– Kate Zambreno, author of, Green Girl
“The Invaders is an elegant, ominous book, a sharp, witty novel of manners of the most sinister kind. In Waclawiak’s expert hands, this novel will have you holding your breath and your heart until the very last word.”
– Roxane Gay, author of, Bad Feminist and An Untamed State
“How To Get Into the Twin Palms was a mini-masterpiece of atmosphere and mood; a new book is a cause for celebration.”
– Emily Gould, author of, Friendship
“…my favorite kind of beach read, more messy ambiguity than Mai Tais.”
– Anna Andersen, The Toast
"...ought to be sold with coconut oil and sunglasses--a perfect, and perfectly dark, beach read told with L.A.-noir style but set in tony country-club Connecticut."
– Vanity Fair
"With its spot-on characterizations, droll dialogue, and staccato pacing, Waclawiak's dark satire is a trenchant indictment of the country club set tempered by compassionately rendered portraits of two of its not entirely unwitting victims."
– Booklist
“As Cheryl, a trophy wife, and her entitled stepson, Teddy, follow parallel paths to self-destruction, the book draws out the disjunction between a lush, decorous setting and the inner corruption of its inhabitants.”
– The New Yorker