A Wealth of Inspiration

Sasha is in trouble. In Jenny Jackson's debut novel "Pineapple Street" the thirtysomething has moved to the "fruit district" of the pricey Brooklyn Heights neighborhood in New York City, just below Orange and Cranberry Street, via a seemingly benevolent real estate windfall. Her husband's generationally-wealthy WASP parents have absconded their four-story limestone and left the property to the newlyweds. The caveat being of course, that Sasha's in-laws can drop by anytime, leave all their belongings there, and keep a watchful eye over the former-family home to ensure nothing changes. After all, who would want to remodel their oh-so-nautical decor? In Jackson's comedy of manners, money, and marble countertops, inheritance always comes with strings — and relatives — attached.

A Vice President and Executive Editor at Alfred A. Knopf, Jackson, like her characters, is a resident of Brooklyn Heights and used her downtime during the pandemic to put her observations regarding the borough's less than sympathetic 1% class to use as she penned her first novel.

"When we were all shut down, and we weren't going to parties, and we weren't going out to lunch, and we weren't meeting, I felt this weird, psychic backlog of energy," Jackson said to Salisbury, Conn., based novelist Helen Klein Ross during an author talk at The White Hart Inn, also in Salisbury. "I wanted to make someone laugh, have some harmless gossip, and do the fun, intellectual flirting that you do in the real world as an agent when you're trying to make exciting things happen. Writing 'Pineapple Street' became an act of wish fulfillment."

Jackson's work is part social fantasy — for every nightmare scenario, there is still plenty to envy — and social commentary on the familial grip on wealth. "I think Millennials are in a very unique and strange position. The Baby Boomers are going to be passing down $68 trillion to their children and grandchildren. This is an unprecedented level of inherited wealth," Jackson said. Despite the limitations set by the financial hardships that the majority of the Millennial generation has faced by living through two national recessions during their prime earning years, a select few are set to inherit so much family money that Forbes reported that they will become (by the average, not the median) the richest generation in American history.

"The way tax structures are arranged in America means that these dynastic families are going to be responsible for keeping a good portion of that $68 trillion passed down to their immediate descendants. The scale of the inheritance is brand new. And Millennials have seen income inequality increase in a way the previous generation haven't. They are more versed in the nuances of it. I see people younger than me grappling with questions about wealth disparity that I didn't in my twenties and thirties."

Photo by Alexander Wilburn

Photo by Alexander Wilburn

Photo by Alexander Wilburn

Latest News

HVRHS triple jumper places 9th in New England
Anthony Labbadia set a new HVRHS record with a 44-foot one-inch triple jump June 14. The distance earned him 9th place at the New England track and field championship, which this year was held in New Britain, Conn.
Photo by Riley Klein

NEW BRITAIN — Anthony Labbadia soared to 9th place in the triple jump at the 2025 New England track and field championships Saturday, June 14.

On his first attempt of the event he leaped 44 feet and one inch, qualifying for the finals and setting the new Housatonic Valley Regional High School record. The previous school record of 43 feet eight inches was set by Don Hurlbutt in 1967.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pirates go back-to-back as league champs

The Canaan Pirates pose as champions after defending the Northwest Connecticut District 6 Majors Little League title.

Photo by Riley Klein

THOMASTON The Canaan Pirates are champions once more.

In the Northwest Connecticut District 6 Majors Little League title game Friday, June 13, the Pirates defeated Thomaston JRC Transportation by a score of 6-2.

Keep ReadingShow less
Red Sox end season with comeback win

NORTH CANAAN — The Canaan Red Sox ended the season with a thrilling 14-13 win over the Tri-Town Phillies Thursday, June 12.

Canaan trailed for most of the game but kept it close. Ultimately, the Red Sox secured the victory with a final-inning comeback in front of the home crowd at Steve Blass Field.

Keep ReadingShow less
State Rep. Horn injured in running accident

State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) was treated for her injuries at Sharon Hospital.

Photo by John Coston

The day after concluding what has been described as a grueling legislative session, State Rep. Maria Horn (D-64) had a running accident, leaving her with a broken pelvis and collarbone among other more minor bruises and abrasions. Despite the injuries, she is in good spirits and recuperating at home, eager to get back on her feet.

Horn said after spending weeks in the assembly hall, she was eager to get some outdoor exercise in, but perhaps pushed a little too hard too soon. She said she was excited to get a run in on the morning of Friday, June 6, but was still exhausted from her time in Hartford and in the final stretch of recovering from a meniscus repair surgery in December.

Keep ReadingShow less