BEST OFFER WINS by Marisa Kashino is the Good Morning America book club pick for December!
An insanely competitive housing market. A desperate buyer on the edge. In Marisa Kashino’s darkly hilarious debut novel, BEST OFFER WINS, the white picket fence becomes the ultimate symbol of success—and obsession. How far would you go for the house of your dreams?
Eighteen months and 11 lost bidding wars into house-hunting in the overheated Washington, DC suburbs, 37-year-old publicist Margo Miyake gets a tip about the perfect house, in the perfect neighborhood, slated to come up for sale in one month. Desperate to escape the cramped apartment she shares with her husband Ian—and in turn, get their marriage, plan to have a baby, and whole life back on track—Margo becomes obsessed with buying the house before it’s publicly listed and the masses descend (with unbeatable, all-cash offers in hand).
A little stalking? Harmless. A bit of trespassing? Necessary. As Margo infiltrates the homeowners’ lives, her tactics grow increasingly unhinged—but just when she thinks she’s won them over, she hits a snag in her plan. Undeterred, Margo will prove again and again that there’s no boundary she won’t cross to seize the dream life she’s been chasing. The most unsettling part? You’ll root for her, even as you gasp in disbelief.
Dark, biting, and laugh-out-loud funny, BEST OFFER WINS is a propulsive debut and a razor-sharp exploration of class, ambition, and the modern housing crisis.
“Former journalist Kashino’s first novel is a sharp, emotionally charged take on the real-estate rat race, blending millennial anxieties with biting humor… The novel balances its satirical edge with a deep understanding of modern desperation—particularly around housing, identity, and stability—making it a fun and compelling read… A strong pick for fans of contemporary fiction with humor, heart, and a hint of chaos. Recommended for collections where character-driven, voice-forward fiction circulates well.”—Library Journal
Interested in picking this for your own book club? Check out this discussion guide!
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