Review:

"The smallest details of staid coupledom duel it out with a lusty alternate reality that begins when a woman passes up an opportunity to cheat on her longtime boyfriend in Shriver's latest (after the Orange Prize — winning We Need to Talk About Kevin). Irina McGovern, a children's book illustrator in London, lives in comfortable familiarity with husband-in-everything-but-marriage-certificate Lawrence Trainer, and every summer the two have dinner with their friend, the professional snooker player Ramsey Acton, to celebrate Ramsey's birthday. One year, following Ramsey's divorce and while terrorism specialist 'think tank wonk' Lawrence is in Sarajevo on business, Irina and Ramsey have dinner, and after cocktails and a spot of hash, Irina is tempted to kiss Ramsey. From this near-smooch, Shriver leads readers on a two-pronged narrative: one consisting of what Irina imagines would have happened if she had given in to temptation, the other showing Irina staying with Lawrence while fantasizing about Ramsey. With Jamesian patience, Shriver explores snooker tournaments and terrorism conferences, passionate lovemaking and passionless sex, and teases out her themes of ambition, self-recrimination and longing. The result is an impressive if exhausting novel." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

Review:

"A layered and unflinching portrait of infidelity....Readers will wonder which choice was best for Irina, but Shriver masterfully confounds any attempt to arrive at a sure answer." Kirkus Reviews

Review:

"Shriver, a brilliant and versatile writer, allows these competing stories to unfold organically, each a fully rounded drama, rich with irony, ambiguity, and unforeseeable human complications. (Grade: A)" Entertainment Weekly

Review:

"Shriver's eighth novel is a piercingly funny follow-up to her tragedy-laden 2005 Orange Prize winner....One of the issues that Shriver's expansive yet intimate narrative entertains is whether Irina's love life has been reduced or multiplied by her conflicted affections. It's the good question that powers this titanically game novel." Elle

Review:

"Original and involving...convincing and beautifully told. Highly recommended." Library Journal

Review:

"That we're able to overlook the flaws of Ramsey and Lawrence is, in the end, a testament to Ms. Shriver's ability to make Irina into a thoroughly compelling character, an idiosyncratic yet recognizable heroine about whom it's impossible not to care." Michiko Kakutani, The New York Times

Review:

"While I was occasionally frustrated with Irina or I felt I was learning more about snooker than I wanted to know, there were other moments when I found myself riveted by The Post-Birthday World." Chris Bohjalian, The Boston Globe

Review:

"Shriver's eighth novel will attract patient readers ready for the next step after chick lit....This novel is ostensibly formulaic, but the details and the solid writing make it ultimately enjoyable." Booklist

Review:

"You can't blame Shriver for taking up with a cliche: It's a perfectly enjoyable cliche, one that ought to have delivered a slim, smart, entertaining read. The problem is, Shriver can't seem to find a tone that will let her (and us) have any fun." Newsday

Review:

"Shriver succeeds at constantly taking the pulse of the aftermath of betrayal and duplicity. The Post-Birthday World is a steamy examination of the possibilities of what might happen if you give into temptation or what might happen if you don't." Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

Synopsis:

The long-awaited new novel from the Orange Prize-winning author of We Need to Talk About Kevin is an entertaining and deeply human look at love and the choices people make.