Clementine Crane Prefers Not To: A Novel

For fans of Maria Semple, Clementine Crane is a one-woman whirlwind, managing every aspect of her family’s life—until she hits her breaking point. In this quirky and heartfelt novel, author Kristin Bair explores family, community, and womanhood with sharp wit and keen insight.

Clementine Crane has a few things on her plate: She keeps the peace, picks up the slack, and always puts everyone else first. But when her first hot flash strikes, perimenopause sends her into a tailspin. Between a husband who can’t navigate a revolving door without her, three kids who treat her as their fixer, and a career stuck in neutral, Clementine begins to wonder: When is enough enough?

Overwhelmed and fed up, Clementine takes a stand—one small refusal at a time. She goes on strike, ditching obligations, setting boundaries, and venting her frustrations on social media. When her raw, hilarious, and unexpectedly poignant videos go viral, Clementine finds herself at the heart of a movement she never saw coming.

Clementine can’t stay on strike forever, but can she let a few things fall through the cracks—before she cracks again? Speaking to the emotional, and often invisible, labor that so many women bear, Clementine Crane finally asks: When does it become too much?

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Release date

Audiobook: 14 October 2025