 First edition | |
| Author | Jenny Offill |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Alfred A. Knopf |
Publication date | January 28, 2014 |
| Pages | 179 pages |
| ISBN | 9780345806871 |
Dept. of Speculation is a 2014 novel by American author Jenny Offill. The novel received positive reviews, and has been compared to Offill's later work, Weather .
Though not purely autobiographical, the novel draws from Offill's life. [1] Offill has said Dept. of Speculation "[...] came from the ashes of another book". [1] Dept. of Speculation eschews a typical plot, which Offill has said was deliberate. [2]
According to literary review aggregator Book Marks , the book received mostly "Rave" and reviews, with some less positive reception. [3] The novel has been compared to Renata Adler's 1976 book Speedboat . [4] [5] In her review of the book, published by NPR, Meg Wolitzer praised the novel as "[...] intriguing, beautifully written, sly and often profound". [6] Wolitzer also praised the novel's humor. [6]
Offill has said she did not anticipate the book's success. [7]
Dept. of Speculation was shortlisted for 2015 PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction, [8] and the Folio Prize. [9]
The novel was included on the New York Times' list of the best books of 2014. [10]
A passage in the novel influenced Rachel Yoder's novel Nightbitch . [11]
Thomas Coraghessan Boyle, also known as T. C. Boyle and T. Coraghessan Boyle, is an American novelist and short story writer. Since the mid-1970s, he has published sixteen novels and more than 100 short stories. He won the PEN/Faulkner award in 1988, for his third novel, World's End, which recounts 300 years in upstate New York.
Jenny Offill is an American novelist and editor. Her novel Dept. of Speculation was named one of "The 10 Best Books of 2014" by The New York Times Book Review.
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