Bio

Kaethe Cherney is a native New Yorker with a background in film development, theatre and contemporary art. She holds an MA in Script Writing from Goldsmiths University.  Her short film and two one-act plays have been produced in London, where she lives with her husband and two children. ‘Happy as Larry’ is her first novel.

Book Synopsis

New York. 1970s. A collapsing family in a collapsing city. The Bronx is burning uptown while the beautiful people party downtown. After her father dies and her older siblings join the Sullivanian cult, Saskia becomes her mom’s mom. The grit and glamour of after-hours Manhattan is portrayed through the lens of a bereaved teen, capturing the hormones and hedonism which come with navigating the complexities of the adult world. Harrowing yet hopeful, this is a story about losing love and finding it again.

Selected Book Reviews

“Kaethe Cherney’s moving story follows a spirited young girl through family breakdown, the madness of a cult and the temptations of New York when it was raw and wild. A bracing coming of age story and a perfect snapshot of the 1970’s.” – Mary Harron, director of ‘American Psycho’

“A heart-breaking novel about an unusual childhood.” – Alexander Stille, author of The Sullivanians: Sex, Psychotherapy, and the Wild Life of an American Commune

“How a psychosexual ‘cult’ tried to tear apart [her] family.” – New York Post

“You won’t be able to put it down!” – Giancarlo Esposito

“A compelling read set in 1970’s New York that paints a vivid, at times heartbreaking picture of a family in turmoil.” – Cosey Fanni Tutti, author of ‘Art, Sex and Music’ 

“Catcher in the Rye meets It’s a Wonderful Life, laughed and cried reading this excellent novel, can’t wait for Ms Cherney’s next tome.” – Amazon

‘”An intimate portrait of a New York that no longer exists, described through the experiences of a young girl. Tragic, funny and ultimately full of hope.” – Goodreads

“The insight and wit of Salinger transposed to 1970s NYC. A coming-of-age tale of family, grief and growing-up, inextricable from the heart-beat of the city through that decade, by an author for whom New York was really their big back-yard.” – Amazon

“A moving story about a difficult coming-of-age, which doubles as a love letter to the gritty Manhattan of the 1970s. I was won over by the memorable cast characters, who are flawed but brave—especially by Saskia, the lovable protagonist who turns out to be smarter, tougher, and more resilient than she ever suspected.” Amazon 

“I totally loved this book. It’s so beautifully written with little moments and images I want to make sure I remember forever. Set in NYC in the 70s, you really get a sense of the city back then. It’s a beautifully told story of growing up and learning to forgive those closest to us, and ultimately ourselves. Can’t recommend it enough. Enjoy.” – Amazon

“This book has blown me away. Read it in 2 bursts, last one last night, cried at the end. It is so beautifully written, such complex stories and it is so well realized and articulated. It’s a story of so many things, grief, love, transformation, family, survival, as well as that good old gritty NYC with its cults, crushes, and quaaludes.” – Goodreads

Film

‘Onions’ 2016
BAFTA, London, Sehsüchte Film Festival, Berlin, A Long Week of Short Films, Shanghai and the Phoenix Film Festival, Melbourne

Playwright

‘W.A.S.H’ (Page to Stage Festival, the Lyric Hammersmith, 2015)
‘Bones’ (‘Underexposed’ at The Old Red Lion, 2016)

From West End Wilma, April 19th 2016
“…Bones is one of the best plays of the evening with intriguing characters and touching on a sensitive subject….” Everything Theatre, April 20th 2016

“…The relationship in Bones was touching, complex and strongly defined. An understated gem of the night…” The American Londoner, May 14th 2016

“…But the underplayed gem of the night was certainly Bones, a beautifully written and performed chance encounter……” The American Londoner, May 14th 2016