Don’t look now, but everybody’s watching.

Of course they are; you want all eyes on you because you’re the star. Your thoughts, your choices, your entire life is on display when fame and fortune are yours. It’s a dream come true as long as, like in the new novel, “Meet the Newmans” by Jennifer Niven, you enjoy living in a fishbowl.

Del was late again and Dinah Newman was tired of waiting for him. Until recently — until he started working well past dark and sleeping in his office above the garage — Del was never late. And now supper was ruined and so, maybe, was Dinah’s life.

For a dozen years, she, Del, and their two sons, Guy and Shep, had been the stars of Meet the Newmans, a warm family show on TV, but their old contract was up soon, and it didn’t look good for a thirteenth year. Meet the Newmans still filmed in black-and-white, when all the other shows of the 1964 season were in color. News of the Women’s Movement and Civil Rights were on every American television except, apparently, the Newman’s. Shep and Guy were grown up now. The world had moved on; Del and Dinah hadn’t.

And there Dinah sat, with her perky dress and pearls, the stench of burnt sweet-and-sour pork in her nostrils, thinking about the L.A Times journalist who’d recently interviewed her. The woman made it clear that Dinah Newman — that Meet the Newmans — was in need of an upgrade. And maybe, thought Dinah, she was right.

Dinah knew her marriage was slipping. Guy had a male roommate, which was gossip fodder and she didn’t want to face facts, but CBS was trying to force him into a marriage he didn’t want. Shep had his own singing career, and he was out of control.

And now Del was late. Again.

Dinah didn’t know what the future would hold for her family or for the show.

She also didn’t know that a calamity had happened that would change everything.

If you are someone who pays strict attention to a timeline, “Meet the Newmans” might baffle you at first. There’s a Pulp-Fiction kind of backward vibe in the opening chapters of this Mad Men sort of novel that doesn’t make sense, so you just have to trust.

No worries; it gets straightened out and even as this novel plays with time, you won’t want to let it go. The characters are (mostly) likable and perfectly crafted; even the ones who are vile in a feminist-1964 way are well-done. They help author Jennifer Niven blend American culture from six decades ago with a modern message, pulling younger readers into history while reminding those of a Certain Age why they’re happy those bad old days are over.

“Meet the Newmans” is a very enjoyable novel for fans of nostalgia, especially of nostalgic TV channels or mid-century movies. It’s sweet, funny, and entertaining, there’s no profanity in this book and it’s safe to share among generations, so watch for it.

“Meet the Newmans” by Jennifer Niven
c.2026, 2025, Flatiron Press
$29.99
400 pages