Take What You Need

A Novel

By: Idra Novey

Narrated by: Christina Delaine, Idra Novey

A New York Times Notable Book of 2023

A Best Book of the Year: The New Yorker, L.A. Times, Boston Globe, NPR, The Guardian Author Pick, and Today

Longlisted for the 2024 Dublin Literary Award

Longlisted for 2024 Joyce Carol Oates Prize

“A heart-rending book, but also a beautiful celebration of ‘the glorious pleasure of erecting something new,’ be it a work of art or a human connection.”—The Wall Street Journal

From “one of the finest and bravest novelists at work today,” (Vulture) award-winning writer Idra Novey has conjured a novel of “astonishing and singular” honesty (Rumaan Alam) with two determined, unforgettable female voices.

Set in the Allegheny Mountains of Appalachia, Take What You Need traces the parallel lives of Jean and her beloved but estranged stepdaughter, Leah, who’s sought a clean break from her rural childhood. In Leah’s urban life with her young family, she’s revealed little about Jean, how much she misses her stepmother’s hard-won insights and joyful lack of inhibition. But with Jean’s death, Leah must return to sort through what’s been left behind.

What Leah discovers is staggering: Jean has filled her ramshackle house with giant sculptures she’s welded from scraps of the area’s industrial history. There’s also a young man now living in the house who played an unknown role in Jean’s last years and in her art.

With great verve and humor, Idra Novey zeros in on the joys and difficulty of family, the ease with which we let distance mute conflict, and the power we can draw from creative pursuits.

Take What You Need explores the continuing mystery of the people we love most with passionate and resonance, this novel illuminating can be built from what others have discarded—art, unexpected friendship, a new contentment of self. This is Idra Novey at her very best.

©2023 Idra Novey (P)2023 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

The Boston Globe's "Best Books to Read in 2023"

Named One of the Best Fiction for Spring 2023 by The Wall Street Journal

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2023 by Oprah Daily, Vulture, Today.com, Elle, and Lit Hub

“[An] odd and beautiful novel about the ineffable impulse to make art, wedged into an exploration of what happens to towns and people left behind.”—Kristen Martin, NPR

"Idra Novey’s Take What You Need is a story about art and passion, about the people and places who forge us. This singular and astonishing novel probes one of the biggest questions of the day: In a moment of cultural and political fracture, how do we live with one another?"—Rumaan Alam, author of Leave the World Behind

"Take What You Need is exhilarating, a major novel. I read it in a white heat. Idra Novey writes with ferocious intelligence about the impulse to make beauty in a country coming apart at the seams."—Garth Greenwell, author of Cleanness and What Belongs to You

This is a good book.

My one regret for this narration is that the authors portion does not measure up to the quality of Cristina Delaines talent.

is it really Art?

Perspective, the differences of what we see, feel and remember and what those experiences say depending on who's telling

Great book. Phenomenal performances.

An honest and nuanced look at two sides of life in Appalachia: those who leave and those who stay behind. Jean and Leah are flawed, human, brilliant, and sympathetic characters. We see their complex relationship play out in beautiful and devastating ways, against the rich tapestry of place, culture, and politics. In this story, Novey offers a realistic portrayal of the tension between place and identity.

This audio version is especially phenomenal, and I highly recommend!

Gorgeous and thought-provoking

A story about art and relationships, simultaneously timeless and timely. Christina Delaine’s performance is fantastic.

Intriguing short tale!

I don’t live when an author reads the work. It sounds…authorial. But it is a fascinating brief story. Very thought provoking and imaginative in fine convincing detail.

insightful and thought-provoking

I like the books read by the author the most. growing up in western PA I related to a lot of the details. the characters were deep and well developed.

Great Novel!!!!!!!!

I listen this novel in two days, could not put it down. It takes on the divide in this country like no other recent novel I can think of.

I have never heard such a gorgeous story, so brilliantly told…

I am astounded by this magnificent book! It is far away the best written book I have ever heard read, and I am a big reader. I just could not believe my ears, when I heard Jean speaking, especially; the observations of the characters; the descriptions of the physical surroundings; and the expression of this character, especially was beyond spectacular! Absolutely loved the Leah part as well. This is one of my all-time favorite books. Idra Novey is a genius! Thank you!!!

Love this book!

The story, characters, voices, imagery, and creativity are all fantastic. I highly recommend this book.

Beautiful Story and Christina Delaine is genius.

Subtle but powerful, this book will lead you through a complicated relationship full of love and regrets, rage, joy, longing, and unresolved issues between two fierce women. So many passages just stabbed at my heart and made me pause the narration and rewind in order to take in more fully what these women were saying. Christina Delaine is magnificent - if you don't like the story, stay for Ms. Delaine! T

The ending of this book, with all of the unknowns left unknown, was the perfect demonstration of our messy lives. I will definitely listen to this again.

And now I'm on to looking for more books written by Idra Novey, as well as books narrated by Christina Delaine. Thank you Ms Novey for enriching my life with this book!