Unseen City

(Paperback)

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Description

In a city teeming with stories, how do lost souls find one another It's a question Meg Rhys doesn't think she's asking. Meg is a self-identified spinster librarian, satisfied with living with her cat, stacks of books, and her dead sister's ghost in her New York City apartment. Then she becomes obsessed with an intriguing library patron and the haunted house he's trying to research. The house has its own story to tell too, of love and war, of racism's fallout and the ghost story that is gentrification, and of Brooklyn before it was Brooklyn. What follows is an exploration of what home is, how we live with loss, who belongs in the city and to whom the city belongs, and the possibilities and power of love.

Reviews

"Gripping, moving, and vital,Unseen Cityasks how human life might defy its lifespanin the throes of love, the conviction of belief, and each person's mark upon a city that will survive them. For two days, I laughed at Amy Shearn's wry humor and gasped at her gorgeous sentences; I couldn't put this brilliant book down until its perfect final line (and I'm haunted stillwhich is appropriate, I suppose)!"Miranda Beverly-Whittemore, bestselling author ofJuneandBittersweet

"Atmospheric, poignant, well-observed, and sneakily funny, Amy Shearn'sUnseen Cityis one from the heart, an absorbing read for all those who love Brooklyn, great writing, and the human spirit."Kevin Baker, bestselling author ofThe Big CrowdandAmerica the Ingenious

"If Amy Shearns fiction is as much fun to write as it is to read, thats welcome news because its impossible to read her novels without wanting more, more, more. In true Shearn style,Unseen Cityis whip-smart, hilarious, and also deeply touching, and this story about mismatched New Yorkers finding common ground in a city theyve decidedcome hell or higher rentto adore, will delight and charm you long after the last page."Courtney Maum, author ofI Am Having So Much Fun Here Without YouandTouchand founder of the learning collaborative, THE CABINS.

"Shearns nimble storytelling unearths a fascinating and fraught history."Publishers Weekly

"What can be described as a love letter to New York, Amy Shearns novel serves as a romantic, haunting story that weaves together the metropolitan behemoths past and present."Samantha Zabell,Apartment Therapy

"Ghosts, New York City, and a real estate mystery from the past are the elements of this wildly enjoyable recent novel."Emily Gray Tedrowe, author of The Talented Miss Farwell,GBH

"Shearns book, Unseen City, is an unexpected entry into an historical home and the contrast between life and death. Or, perhaps more fitting, the contrast between living and death...An excellent read. You wont be disappointed."Shelf Media Group

Author Bio

Amy Shearnis the author of the critically acclaimed novelsHow Far Is the Ocean from Here,chosen as a notable debut byPoets & Writersand a hot summer read by theChicago Tribune, andThe Mermaid of Brooklyn, which was a selection of Target's Emerging Authors program, a Hudson News Summer Reads pick, and was also published in the UK and as an audiobook. She is a fiction editor for Joyland Magazine, and her writing has appeared in theNew York Times, Slate, Real Simple, and many literary publications. She earned an MFA from the University of Minnesota, has received a Promise Award grant from the Sustainable Arts Foundation, and has participated in residencies at SPACE on Ryder Farm and elsewhere. Amy lives in New York City with her two children.