Juliet The Maniac

(Paperback)

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Description

Juliet is a typical teenage girl - a little beast. Shrewd and frank and real, this novel follows her efforts to survive herself, as she tries to make sense of her on-and-off relationship with recovery, while traipsing through mid-90's, Southern California. Juliet knows she should be poised for success. She knows her honors English teacher shouldn't be pity changing her grades from F's to C's, knows she shouldn't be snorting coke and chain-smoking at the Palms, knows she shouldn't be hallucinating shadowy, Joan-of-Arc-like messages from God. But there is something dark and violent inside of her fourteen-year-old heart that makes it impossible for her to stop self-destructing. The two forced hospitalizations didn't help her, neither did the outpatient facility for gay, depressed art kids - maybe Redwood Trails therapeutic boarding school will Through her Didion-esque lens, Escoria captures the brutality of girlhood - its fleeting, toxic friendships, the monstrous ways anger transforms,

Reviews

A Bustle MOST ANTICIPATED NOVEL of 2019
A Nylon MOST ANTICIPATED NOVEL of 2019

"For fans of Ottessa Moshfegh, Juliet the Maniac is a worthy new entry in that pantheon of deconstruction ... Dazzling."NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

To read Juliet the Maniac is to confront our shared faith in the flawed logic of lifes meaning, and by so doing, become worthier of our humanity a gift to any reader who has ever lost control, sighted a horizon and began moving toward it.THE WASHINGTON POST

"Juliet the Maniac is a wild ride of a book, and I was rooting for Juliet every page
along the way."CHICAGO REVIEW OF BOOKS

"A force that shouldn't be ignored an illuminating examination of youth and soul-crushing pressure."BUZZFEED

"[With] heft and a sense of authenticity, Escoria earns the readers' trust early ... Juliet the Maniac is a heartfelt, raw, powerfully told story about surviving mental illness and learning to cope with inner demons."NPR.org

"Escorias descriptions are moving ... Its the electricity that pulsates from within the prose. [A] fire burning inside."BOMB

"Juliet Escoria has created a propulsive, addictive story told with a singular honesty; it can feel brutalit burnsbut its also illuminating, and a necessary counterpoint to all those teenage stories that marginalize the girl we actually want to read about.NYLON

[An] exciting first novel Juliet the Maniac is one of those coming-of-age stories that will feel so darn personal, you'll wonder if Escoria had a secret recording device in your own teenage heart.BUSTLE

An author to watch.MICHAEL SCHAUB, LOS ANGELES TIMES

Writing about emotional turmoil and addiction with a sharp, charged eloquence, Juliet Escoria is an up-and-coming author.THE A.V. CLUB

"Achingly accurate language, stripped down but beautiful, makes this story fresh and forthright."LIBRARY JOURNAL

"Searing ... reminiscent of Eve Babitzs work ... Escorias novel is a moving and intimate portrait of girlhood and mental illness."PUBLISHERS WEEKLY

"Vivid, fantastic imaginings ... of mental illness and disaffected youth."KIRKUS REVIEWS

"A startlingly honest tale of mental illness and addiction ... Escoria cements her status as one of the most powerful voices in independent literature."THE INDEPENDENT

"Escoria here delivers a coming-of-age novel about teenage life and mental illness that's also an explosive work of autofiction. With bold honesty, she tells an unforgettable story that's unhindered by romanticism in its unabashed portrayal of Juliet's darkest struggles.BOOKLIST

"Escoria weaves a story that isnt just relatable to those with mental illness, but really illustrates what its like for those readers who dont have it Escorias writing traces the scars in this book with a gentle fingertip, capturing the moments with a dream-like clarity, watching them unfold, knowing what the consequences will be.ENTROPY

Brims with dark humor and empathyPOP SUGAR

"You dont want to miss Juliet the Maniac ... Its a stunning portrayal of what its like to struggle with bipolar disorder, self-harm, and suicidal thoughts as a teenager."HELLO GIGGLES

"A searing, harrowing tale of addiction, the teenage years, and antisocial behavior, all told with Escorias intense prose and a blend of tension and empathy."VOL. 1 BROOKLYN

Equal parts memoir and fiction, were given a peek inside the mind of a bright and accomplished teendespite her perceived odds. Pro tip: Pick this one up when youre feeling lonely. (Youre not, well figure it out.)HYPEBAE

Juliet the Maniac is a dark, funny, and heartbreaking portrait of a young teenagers clash with mental illness and her battle toward understanding and recovery.THE FANZINE

"A singularly beautiful piece of workhonest, unaffected, fascinating."NICO WALKER, author of Cherry

"Not since Kathy Acker has a writer given us such an unapologetic and dazzling view from the inside-out of adolescence. A voice and style triumph. A brilliant cry against cultural girl inscriptions."LIDIA YUKNAVITCH, author of The Book of Joan

"Juliet Escoria's voice is unmistakable: riveting, harrowing, and funny. In Juliet the Maniac, she tells a story about addiction and mental illness that subverts our expectations and reveals new truths about gender, power, and the unexpected ways we can both heal and be harmed."EMILY GOULD, author of Friendship

"Juliet the Maniac is a late-nineties Bell Jar, a Girl, Interrupted in gloomy sunny Southern California, an autofiction from a former reform-school pirate princess. Teenage girls forever (and other people who exist, too): Read this book."KATHERINE FAW, author of Ultraluminous

Author Bio

Juliet Escoria's debut novel Juliet the Maniac (2019) was named a "best of" book by Nylon, Elle, Buzzfeed, and others, and was shortlisted for the VCU Cabell First Novelist Prize. Her poetry collection Witch Hunt and story collection Black Cloud were both listed in various best of the year roundups. Her writing has been published in Prelude, VICE, The Fader, BOMB, and the New York Times. She was born in Australia, raised in San Diego, and currently lives in West Virginia, where she teaches English at a community college.