TONIGHT Overcoming the past is a key theme in young authors’ Edan Lepucki and Mira Jacobs debut novels, both published last year to great acclaim, so it seems natural that they would celebrate their paperback release with a discussion on the topic. Lepucki’s California tells the story of a couple living in the ruins of a dystopian America who must choose between freedom and security when they discover they are expecting a child. “Lepucki conjures a lush, intricate, deeply disturbing vision of the future,” said Jennifer Egan (Welcome to the Goon Squad). Jacob’s The Sleepwalker’s Guide to Dancing is about a daughter who returns to her childhood home to help with her unwell father, only to find herself confronted with strange looks from the hospital staff and a series of puzzling items buried in her mother’s garden. “When her plot springs surprises, she lets them happen just as they do in life: blindsidingly right in the middle of things,” said the Boston Globe.
Tuesday, July 14, at 7:30 p.m. Greenlight Bookstore, 686 Fulton Street (Fort Greene).
The relatively unknown author whose debut novel vaulted to the top of the bestseller list after The Colbert Report made it a weapon in its war against Amazon is appearing at a local bookstore tonight. And yes, it’s an indie — namely, Greenpoint’s Word. More →
Imagine the end of the world is nigh, and you’re pregnant. Now imagine you have fungi growing rampant on your body. All this, and more, happens to Frida—the protagonist of Edan Lepucki’s debut post-apocalyptic California. Set, you guessed it, in a future, blighted West Coast, the novel is already garnering high praise. According to Jennifer Egan, “Lepucki conjures a lush, intricate, deeply disturbing vision of the future, then masterfully exploits its dramatic possibilities.” Expecting a child, Frida and husband Cal must leave their defensive isolation and attempt to enter a nearby settlement—forcing them to choose whom they can trust. Join Lepucki, a staff writer for The Millions, for a reading and discussion of the epic, disquieting work.
TONIGHT