Act of God
Published on 7. July 2016
Book
Paperback/Softback
192 pages
978-1-78227-211-3 (ISBN)
Description
<b>Brooklyn, the sweltering summer of 2015. A fungus is about to ruin everything.</br>
'Funny, scary... runs the gamut from enjoyably ridiculous to surprisingly sublime' <i>Daily Beast</i></br>
'A darkly comic jewel of a novel' <i>The Boston Globe</i></br></b>
Sixty four year-old identical twin sisters Kat and Edith are starting to panic: an iridescent mushroom has appeared in the closet of their rent-controlled Brooklyn apartment.</br>
Upstairs, their wealthy landlady is ignoring their phonecalls. But when she discovers a Russian au pair living in her guest room closet, she is horrified to spot the same phosphorescent glow. As the toxic mould spreads, the four hapless women are evacuated from their contaminated homes without any possessions, to join the thousands of people made vagrants in their own city.</br>
Filled with darkness and comic suspense, <i>Act of God</i> is a very funny , poignant story about the human instincts for love, forgiveness and a place to call hime in this lively, inhospitable world.</br>
Reviews / Votes
Snappy, funny, thoughtful novel packed full of brilliant urban detail * Daily Mail * This quirky tale will stick with you * Event, Mail on Sunday * Darkly comic... reminiscent of Margaret Atwood's MaddAddam trilogy. * Big Issue * A hilarious story that will leave you feeling like you really ought to check the details on your home insurance * Standard Issue * Punctuated with sparks of humour...a compelling novel to be devoured in one sitting. * The Lady * Nothing short of superb...worth making a selection of friends and family read it do you can discuss. * Bookbag * A darkly comic jewel of a novel... an act of love, one that is no less funny or endearing for the toughness with which it is bestowed * Boston Globe * Fizzing with wit... [Ciment's] deft sentences and cleverly chosen details set a bracing pace that keeps the full force of the novel's questions about responsibility and forgiveness in check until the last page is turned * Washington Times * Ciment's nightmare-comedy reads like an urbane spin on the Book of Job, written in the wake of Superstorm Sandy... An antic yet poignant study of who you become when you lose everything... invigoratingly unpredictable * Seattle Times * Funny, scary... runs the gamut from enjoyably ridiculous to surprisingly sublime * Daily Beast * Humanity, warmth and wry humor light up Ciment's noirish novel... This absorbing novel... affixes itself to your psyche like a spore and quickly spreads to your heart, setting everything in its wake aglow * Kirkus (starred review) * Rich, quirky characterizations, witty insights into human nature and cruel twists of fate... a profound, suspenseful story... thoroughly entertaining and unforgettable * Shelf Awareness * Flashes of fine writing, psychological insight and the story has a strong moral heart * Jewish Chronicle * Beautiful, tightly controlled, and fascinating... a winner * BookRiot * In a feat of literary magic, Ciment slips an abundance of suspenseful action, incisive humor, far-ranging wisdom, and complex emotion into this inventive, caring, devour-all-at-once novel of self, family, community, and doing right * Booklist * Praise for Heroic Measures:'Beautifully written, tender and funny'- Daily Mail; 'Brilliantly conveys the combination of trivial personal concerns and fluttering panic a terrorist threat brings to a major city' - Big Issue; 'A lovely read about long-term love' * Good Housekeeping *
More details
Language
English
Place of publication
London
United Kingdom
Dimensions
Height: 198 mm
Width: 129 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78227-211-3 (9781782272113)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Person
The award-winning author Jill Ciment was born in Montreal, Canada. She is the author of Small Claims, a collection of short stories and novellas; the novels The Law of Falling Bodies, Teeth of the Dog, The Tattoo Artist and Heroic Measures; and a memoir, Half a Life. She has been the recipient of numerous grants and prizes, among them a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, two New York Foundation for the Arts fellowships, the Janet Heidinger Kafka Prize and a Guggenheim fellowship. Ciment shares her time between Florida and Brooklyn, and is a professor of creative writing at the University of Florida. Her novel Heroic Measures is also published by Pushkin Press.