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The book of speculation
541 pages
A wondrous, atmospheric dive into crumbling coastal homes, traveling carnivals, and the haunting power of antiquarian books.
What it feels like
This gorgeous and moving literary debut wraps the reader in an atmospheric, slightly melancholy world where the past bleeds into the present. The narrative unfolds at a steady pace, balancing the quiet, crumbling isolation of a house perched on a Long Island bluff with the whimsical, mysterious energy of a traveling carnival. As the protagonist decodes an antiquarian book filled with sketches and secrets, the mood shifts from lonely grief to an urgent, magical quest to break a generational curse. The prose feels wondrous and tactile, much like the yellowed, crackling pages of the mysterious text at the story's center. It is a perfect read for those who are captivated by family secrets, the tactile magic of old books, and the haunting weight of history.
- Mood
- atmospheric
- haunting
- magical
- nostalgic
- Tone
- wondrous
- melancholy
- urgent
- mysterious
- Pace
- steady
- Themes
- family curses and legacies · the magic of old books · grief and loss · unearthing the past · sibling bonds
- The writing
- Gorgeous and moving, filled with whimsical flourishes that mirror the antiquarian texts it describes.
- The arc
- Moves from isolated melancholy and crumbling stability to an urgent, wondrous quest for familial salvation.
- Who it's for
- Readers who love atmospheric literary fiction centered around old books, family secrets, and a touch of carnival magic.
Content notes
- drowning
- parental death
- grief
About the book
"Simon Watson, a young librarian on the verge of losing his job, lives alone on the Long Island Sound in his family home--a house, perched on the edge of a bluff, that is slowly crumbling toward the sea. His parents are long dead, his mother having drowned in the water his house overlooks. His younger sister, Enola, works for a traveling carnival reading tarot cards, and seldom calls. On a day in late June, Simon receives a mysterious package from an antiquarian bookseller. The book tells the story of Amos and Evangeline, doomed lovers who lived and worked in a traveling circus more than two hundred years ago. The paper crackles with age as Simon turns the yellowed pages filled with notes, sketches, and whimsical flourishes; and his best friend and fellow librarian, Alice, looks on in increasing alarm. Why does his grandmother's name, Verona Bonn, appear in this book? Why do so many women in his family drown on July 24? Could there possibly be some kind of curse on his family--and could Enola, who has suddenly turned up at home for the first time in six years, risk the same fate in just a few weeks? In order to save her--and perhaps himself--Simon must try urgently to decode his family history while moving on from the past. The Book of Speculation is Erika Swyler's gorgeous and moving debut, a wondrous novel about the power of books and family and magic"--
Description from Open Library.
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