Special Topics in Calamity Physics

(Paperback)

Publishing Details

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Physical Properties

Description

An unforgettable debut novel that combines the storytelling gifts of Donna Tartt and the suspense of Alfred Hitchcock- a darkly hilarious coming-of-age tale and a richly plotted suspense story, told with dazzling intelligence and wit. 'It had been almost a year since I'd found Hannah dead, and I thought I'd managed to erase all traces of that night within myself. I was wrong.' Special Topics in Calamity Physics is a mesmerizing debut. As teenager Blue van Meer tells her story we are hurled into a dizzying world of murder and butterflies, womanizing and wandering, American McCulture, the Western Canon, political radicalism and juvenile crushisms. Structured around a syllabus for a Great Works of Literature class (with hand-drawn Visual Aids), Blue's wickedly funny yet poignant tale reveals how the imagination finds meaning in the most bewildering times, the ways people of all ages strive for connection, and how the darkest of secrets can set us free.

Reviews

Beneath the foam of this exuberant debut is a dark, strong drink -- Jonathan Franzen, author of * The Corrections *

Author Bio

Marisha Pessl was born in 1977 and lives in New York. This is her first novel.