None of the people I liked ever turned up that way. This is a book that’s not easily forgotten.

Offill has created a masterpiece that is philosophical, funny, and moving. But sometimes our perimeter was breached by neighbors, by Girl Scouts, by Jehovah's Witnesses. of Speculation is astute and affecting on the politics of relationships and the burdens of day-to-day living of children, work, and the feeling that life is passing us by. The wife remarks, 'The reason to have a home is to keep certain people in and everyone else out. I loved getting a glimpse of the way a couple navigates the world and their own little terrain. It is also a beguiling rumination on the mysteries of intimacy, trust, faith, knowledge, and the condition of universal shipwreck that unites us all. It's also intriguing, beautifully written, sly and often profound. of Speculation is a portrait of a marriage. The book is absorbing and highly readable. If all that scares you off, I should tell you: be brave. Not to mention the fact that the characters, a young couple, are referred to only as 'the husband' and 'the wife.' No names are ever used. By which I mean that the narrative isn't a series of flowing scenes that keep you reassuringly grounded in plot, but a collection of vignettes, observations and quirky details that are sometimes pulled from real life. Make no mistake, this is an experimental novel. It's an unusual book not only in terms of its size, but also its form. of Speculation, which weighs in at 192 pages soaking wet and includes a fair amount of white space, is extremely short for a novel. Your purchase helps support NPR programming. Close overlay Buy Featured Book Title Dept.

Dept of speculation