Maria Semple’s New Novel “Go Gentle” Is a ‘Twisty and Witty Romance’ — See the Cover! (Exclusive)
The latest book from the ‘Where’d You Go, Bernadette’ author will arrive next year
Maria Semple is back!
The bestselling author of Where’d You Go, Bernadette has shared the cover of her forthcoming novel, Go Gentle, exclusively with PEOPLE. The book hits shelves via Putnam in spring 2026.
The novel follows Adora Hazzard, a philosopher and divorcee living on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. During the day, Adora works as a tutor to a wealthy family, and relishes her newfound freedom by savoring what she already has in life.
But when Adora meets a handsome man named Digby while at the ballet, her life motto is put to the test. Digby pulls Adora into a world full of “secret rendezvous, black-market art deals, and international intrigue,” per the book’s synopsis — leading her to reconsider everything she knows.
The novel has received early praise from authors like Bonnie Garmus, who calls the book “highly original” and Gary Shteyngart, who dubs it “hilarious, urbane, touching but never sentimental.”
“I wrote Go Gentle in the midst of ending a long-term relationship, starting over in a new city and reckoning with painful aspects of my past,” Semple says. “That I was able to forge all that tumult — plus my love of philosophy — into a twisty and witty romance tells me I’m not dead yet!”
Semple, also the author of novels Today Will Be Different and This One Is Mine, became an international hit with her books. With Go Gentle, she’s anticipatory of how readers will react.
“My number one consideration is always the reading experience, that it be fresh and surprising,” the author says. “Still, to me Go Gentle is a book of ideas. I can’t wait to get talking about it with my readers.”
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