Emma Copley (pronounced cop-ley) Eisenberg is the author of the novel Housemates, which was a national bestseller and named a best book of the year by The Boston Globe, People, NBC, Them.Us, Autostraddle, and Kirkus Reviews as well as one of Electric Literature’s “Top 5 Novels of 2024” and Time Magazine’s “16 Best Books to Read for Pride.” Her narrative nonfiction book, The Third Rainbow Girl, was a New York Times Notable Book and Editor’s Choice as well as a finalist for an Edgar Award, a Lambda Literary Award, and an Anthony Award, among other honors. Her fiction, essays, and criticism have appeared in Granta, Esquire, The New Republic, Lux, The Washington Post Magazine, VQR, and many other publications. She lives in Philadelphia, where she co-founded Blue Stoop, a community hub for the literary arts. Her short story collection, Fat Swim, is forthcoming from Hogarth in 2026.
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Housemates
National Bestseller * The Boston Globe’s 75 Best Books of 2024 * People Magazine’s 10 Best Debut Fiction Books of 2024 * Electric Literature Top 5 Best Novels of 2024 * Kirkus Reviews Best Books of 2024 * NBC Out’s Favorite LGBTQ Titles of 2024 * Them.Us’ 16 Best LGBTQ Books of 2024 * Autostraddle’s Best Queer Books of 2024 * Bookshop.org’s Best Books of 2024 * Debutiful Best Debuts of 2024 * The New Yorker’s Best Books We Read This Week * People Magazine’s Best Books of May 2024 * BookTok’s 11 Most Talked About Books of the Year (Rolling Stone) * A Parnassus Books/Ann Patchett Best Fiction Book of 2024 * Recommended by Good Morning America
When Bernie replies to Leah's ad for a new housemate in Philadelphia, the two begin an intense and defiantly uncategorizable friendship based on a mutual belief in their art, and each other. Both aspire to capture the world around them: Leah through her writing; Bernie through her photography.
Housemates is a warm and insightful coming-of-age story of youth and freedom, and a glorious celebration of queer life - and how art and love might save us all.