In the world of fiction, the dysfunctional family has been a staple from the beginning. Reinventing the wheel can seem daunting, but in Madeline Cash’s debut novel Lost Lambs for literary giant FSG, she navigates this challenge in a playful, contemporary, darkly comical way. The results are polished and inspired by offbeat yet familiar references, even if the story occasionally stumbles into expected outcomes.
On the surface, the Flynns appear as a typical, sitcom-adjacent nuclear family; however, they’re more upside down than you’d know. Harper, the youngest sibling at age 11, seeks answers from the town’s priest after reading her father’s internet history, including “least painful ways of killing yourself.” Bud Flynn, the household provider, is a deeply saddened man who now sleeps in the family van. His wife, Catherine, a jaded, sexually-frustrated ex-artist, has opted for an open marriage and spends her free time going on mall dates with their divorced neighbour. The eldest daughter, Abigail, 17, is in the throes of teenage rebellion and dating 22-year-old ‘War Crimes’ Wes, a former soldier turned security guard for Paul Alabaster, the town’s billionaire and Bud’s elusive boss, known for his masquerade-like parties. Louise, the middle child at 15, is the quietest of the three sisters; though largely unnoticed, something sinister is developing between her and her online boyfriend.
As Bud continues to endure the painful end of his open marriage, he begins attending a weekly support group called ‘Lost Lambs’ at the town church. Wes grows skeptical of his Alabaster, suspecting he is targeting Abigail. Harper understands more than anyone gives her credit for, yet her youth silences her. The Flynn household has become the subject of town gossip, and yet the remnants of connection and memory of who they once were keep them from going completely under.
As a novelist, it’s up to Cash to determine how these characters find solace. She creates a vividly crafted world of suburban melodrama, combined with the feverish intensity of modern online life. Cash’s 2023 short story collection, Earth Angel, explored many of the same themes and was dubbed “the paperback that swallowed the smartphone,” showcasing her as a new voice in literature worth paying attention to.
Cash co-founded NYC’s fiery literary magazine Forever Magazine, alongside Anika Jane Levy, whose debut novel Flat Earth was also released by FSG in November. Unlike the short structures of Earth Angel and Flat Earth, Lost Lambs allows Cash more room to sprawl. The juggling of side plots and world-building ultimately reveals a more mature, confident, and accessible voice from Cash.
This maturity is especially evident in Lost Lamb’s characters. The Flynns feel authentic and fully realized, their dysfunction rendered with intention. Some have comparisons to Jonathan Franzen have surfaced, particularly in relation to his 2021 novel Crossroads, with its familiar terrain of family turmoil, church groups, and infidelity. However, unlike the dull, bloated experience of Crossroads, Cash writes with sharper fangs. There’s an edgy, suburban malaise that brings to mind Todd Solondz more than Franzen.
The best chapters focus on Harper, a character Cash clearly relished writing. Think of a lovechild between Stewie Griffin and Matilda Wormwood—naive, yet unchallenged and ready to take on the system. Harper inches closer to uncovering the mystery of Paul Alabaster quicker than her own father does. Bud, too, is a satisfying character to follow. At the novel’s denouement, it’s Bud who must shed the shell of a man he begins as and grow into the brave father within him. Whether it’s the scenes where he stands up for himself or rediscovers his sensuality, Bud is crafted so deftly that he feels like the character Cash pushed to write the sharpest.
Abigail could easily fit as a character in Earth Angel. Cash, herself not far removed from adolescence, naturally builds her as a character who embodies the struggles of a typical teen in her senior year—eager for escape from her boring surroundings and yearning for more interesting people. This restlessness leads her to routinely take multi-coloured pills with her hilariously named best friend, Tibet. Matriarch Catherine’s puzzling search for satisfaction leads her to comically off-colour moments, such as her ongoing habit of renaming Bud “William” and engaging in scathing arguments with him. Ultimately, her resolution wraps up quickly and, upon reflection, feels somewhat expected. Louise appears least in the book, which suits her role as the quiet middle child. However, I wished for more from her since her material was consistently strong.
The side characters are impressive as well. Father Andrew and Ms. Winkle, the priest and workshop leader at the local church, Our Lady of Suffering, are sharply drawn. Wes, the focus of several chapters, offers an intriguing perspective and plays a crucial role in the story. Paul Alabaster often sounds as if his lines were crafted in a “Bad Guys 101” course, but the quasi-Epstein/Diddy parallels give him a contemporary relevance that makes him all the more detestable. Credit goes to Cash; even characters who have minor appearances or are merely mentioned—Wes’s roommate, the Flynns’ neighbour Jim Doherty, or Ms. Winkle’s brain-damaged daughter—are given depth, texture, and even arcs to them.
The writing itself is playful and, when needed, quietly beautiful. Cash, clearly a lover of language, crafts sentences that invite attention. Her use of repetition is particularly effective, from the clever wordplay of “gnat,” to the typographic shifts that reflect a character’s lisp, or the repeated scenarios like two sisters requesting a specific language class only to be assigned Spanish instead. The entertainment value of Lost Lambs is presented neatly and with confidence.
Although not a long book, some of the scenes toward the end feel drawn out compared to the overall bubbly pace of the book. Still, this is a debut novel marked with ambition. As a talent, I can see Cash’s style posied to influence others, especially with a work as accessible and inspired as this one. The story concludes with no loose ends, showcasing a personal journey among the characters. In a literary landscape dominated by auto-fiction from young novelists, there’s something uniquely imaginative about Lost Lambs that feels engaging. All aboard the hype train.
Lost Lambs was published on January 13 2026 by FSG.