An Evening with Award-Winning Novelist Teddy Wayne at Athena Books

Athena Books is thrilled to welcome Teddy Wayne back to the store to celebrate the release of his new novel, , a seductively twisty literary thriller about a fading novelist whose infatuation with his family’s beautiful Norwegian au pair ignites a scandal and a headline-grabbing trial.

Named a New York Times Novel Everyone Will Be Talking About in 2026, The Au Pair showcases Teddy’s characteristic intelligence and wit, and his willingness to explore some of the most complicated and uncomfortable questions of contemporary life. The author of seven novels, Teddy is a winner of the Whiting Writers’ Award and an NEA Creative Writing Fellowship, as well as a frequent contributor to The New Yorker and a former columnist for The New York Times.

Teddy will be joined in conversation by novelists Avery Carpenter Forrey and Liz Riggs for a smart, wide-ranging discussion about writing, ambition, desire, and the uncomfortable truths at the heart of The Au Pair. Bring your friends and your book club - this is a conversation you won't want to miss.

Please note: Doors open at 6:30pm and the event begins at 7pm. Please plan to arrive on time so you can fully enjoy the evening. To help preserve the intimate atmosphere, doors will close at 7:15pm, and we won’t be able to admit guests after that time. Thank you so much for your understanding. We look forward to seeing you then!

About The Au Pair

Award-winning author Teddy Wayne follows his breakout sensation The Winner -named one of The New York Times’ ten best thrillers of the year - with another seductively twisty page-turner, this time exploring the explosive impact of a beautiful Norwegian au pair on a celebrated novelist and his wife.

Steven Hammer was once a literary star. Now his career is floundering, his marriage to a high-powered woman is crumbling, and the only bright spot in his life is Astrid, the Norwegian au pair who cares for his children, and reveres his neglected novels. But what begins as a secret infatuation soon spirals into a scandal that makes them both infamous.

As a headline-grabbing trial captivates the world with its salacious story of sex, power, and betrayal, Steven must confront the wreckage he has created, and the deeper insecurities that fueled it. Is Astrid an innocent young woman caught up in circumstances beyond her control, or a calculating femme fatale? And how far will Steven go, driven by desperation and obsession, for her professed love?

Propulsive, sly, and sharply observed, The Au Pair is a sleek literary thriller about desire, deception, and a man unraveling as he confronts his fading relevance, and discovers that the lies others spin may pale beside the fictions we tell ourselves.

Teddy Wayne is the author of seven novels including his newest, The Winner and The Au Pair. He is a winner of a Whiting Writers’ Award and an NEA Creative Writing Fellowship, as well as a finalist for the Young Lions Fiction Award, PEN/Bingham Prize, and Dayton Literary Peace Prize. A frequent contributor to and a former columnist for the New York Times, he lives in Brooklyn with his family. www.teddywayne.com

Avery Carpenter Forrey is the author of Social Engagement, which was a GMA Buzz Pick and featured by Vogue, Harper’s Bazaar, Buzzfeed, and other publications. As Managing Editor at theSkimm, she co-wrote the #1 New York Times bestseller How to Skimm Your Life. Her writing has also appeared in The Cut, GQ, and Lit Hub. She holds an MFA in fiction from NYU and lives in Connecticut with her husband and daughters. www.averycarpenterforrey.com/

Liz Riggs is the author of the novels LO FI (2024) and OFF MENU (July 2027). She lives in Brooklyn with her husband and two dogs.