The Weirdness: A Novel

(Paperback)

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Description

At 30, Billy Ridgeway still hasn't gotten around to becoming a writer; he thinks too much to get anything done, really, except making sandwiches at a Greek deli with his buddy Anil. But the Devil shows up with fancy coffee one morning, promising to make Billy's dream of being published come true: as long as Billy steals The Neko of Infinite Equilibrium, a cat-shaped statue with magical powers, from the most powerful warlock in the Eastern United States. The Devil's bidding sends Billy on a wild chase through New York City, through which Billy discovers his own strength.

Reviews

Best Book Cover of 2014, Book Riot
One of the Must-Read Books from Indie Presses in 2014, RiverRun Bookstore

Wonderfully weird and entertaining.
Esquire

An utterly charming, silly, and heartily entertaining coming-of-age story about a man-boy who learns to believe in himself by reckoning with evil a welcome antidote to heavy-handed millennial fiction. Instead of trying to find profundity in party conversation or making his readers shudder in melancholy recognition of their thwarted lives, The Weirdness finds virtue in absurdity. Thank goodness or darkness for that.
Boston Globe

Arriving as a practitioner of such supernatural humor, loaded with brio, wit, and sophisticated jollity, like the literary godchild of Max Barry, Christopher Moore, and Will Self, comes Jeremy Bushnell An engaging reading experience.
Paul Di Filippo, Barnes & Noble Review

In many ways, this is an illuminating parable for these times youll just wish you had more of this delightful novel still left to read.
San Francisco Bay Guardian

A whimsical approach an aspiring author in New York who wakes one day to find that Satan has just brewed him a cup of fair-trade coffee and has a little deal to discuss.
Tampa Bay Times

[The Weirdness] is immensely entertaining, and more than being merely diverting, is truly funny.
Harvard Crimson

The novel is truly a weird read, though unforgettable An open-minded, modern reader will fully appreciate this bizarre and unusual work of fiction, the authors first novel.
Fairfield Mirror

One of the weeks most exciting books
Book Riot

Absolutely, positively one of the most original takes on the nearing middle age, suffering male writer bit Bushnell manages to turn this story on its head in what should be the most ridiculous novel youve ever read.
The Picky Girl

A comedic literary thriller situated between the world of Harry Potter and the Brooklyn of Jonathan Ames, Bushnells debut effectively mines well-trodden terrain to unearth some dark gems.
Publishers Weekly

The Weirdness manages to soar beyond the potentially familiar tropes of urban fantasy with a strong sense of style and characterBushnells debut novel is a clever, darkly satiric tale of the devil, literary Brooklyn and the human penchant for underachievement.
Shelf Awareness

This book is wild. And smart. And hilarious. And weird in all kinds of good ways. Prepare to be weirded out. And to enjoy it.
Charles Yu, author of How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe

JeremyBushnellhas written an irreverent, chaotic, comically inventive novel that makes New York City look like the insane asylum some suspect it is. It steadfastly refuses to bore you, and by the end has something important to say about the way we dream.
William Giraldi, author of Busy Monsters

Author Bio

JEREMY BUSHNELL is the fiction editor for Longform.org, and is also the lead developer of Inevitable, a tabletop game released by Dystopian Holdings. He teaches writing at Northeastern University in Boston, and he lives in Dedham, Massachusetts. This is his first novel.