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The Roundtable

Courtney Maum's new book is 'Alan Opts Out' she will be at Norfolk Library on 6/2 and Rough Draft Bar & Books on 6/3

By Joe Donahue
Published May 26, 2026 at 11:10 AM EDT
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Novelist and memoirist Courtney Maum has built a career exploring ambition, identity, creativity, and the strange pressures of modern life. Her previous books include 'Touch,' 'Costalegre,' and the publishing-world favorite 'Before and After the Book Deal.'

Her new novel, 'Alan Opts Out,' takes sharp aim at consumer culture and suburban status anxiety. The book follows a successful Connecticut advertising executive who suddenly decides to abandon capitalism after a disastrous pitch meeting — moving into his backyard playhouse to live off the land while his wife fights for social acceptance in elite Greenwich circles. It’s funny, pointed, and surprisingly tender.

Courtney Maum joins us this morning.

JUNE 2, 5:30PM ET | NORFOLK, CT Norfolk Library with Sarah LaDuke
JUNE 3, 7PM ET | KINGSTON, NY Rough Draft

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Joe Donahue
Joe talks to people on the radio for a living. In addition to countless impressive human "gets" - he has talked to a lot of Muppets. Joe grew up in Philadelphia, has been on the area airwaves for more than 25 years and currently lives in Washington County, NY with his wife, Kelly, and their dog, Brady. And yes, he reads every single book.
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