Department of Speculation by Jenny Offil “Written like a poem, this book of minimal words tells a complex tale of a marriage over a long period of time. I loved the format and the fact that she eliminates every extraneous bit, leaving a perfectly told, rich account of family life. Brilliant writing and an edgy style.” … “Jenny Offill’s second novel charts the course of a marriage through curious, often shimmering fragments of prose. A writer lives in Brooklyn. A writer lives in Brooklyn and falls in love. A writer in Brooklyn marries and has a child. A married writer in Brooklyn lives, and then there are bedbugs. The novel is, at times, reminiscent of Renata Adler’s Speedboat with a less bitter edge. Seemingly significant information is doled out in inscrutable doses. Each fragment is satisfying or not, and exists unto itself but also, clearly, as part of something bigger. 'Dept. of Speculation' moves quickly, but it is also joyously demanding because you will want to keep trying to understand the why of each fragment and how it fits with the others.”
