48 Hours of Calamity Physics

I spent the last 48 hours engrossed in SPECIAL TOPICS IN CALAMITY PHYSICS. I did have moments of "oh god, please let this end." But once I plowed through the first half of the middle (don't check my math on that), I was hooked. Marisha Pessl's research paper notations presented throughout are interesting and intellectual, without being pretentious. The characters from Gareth and Blue to the Bluebloods, each has their own specific persona. A little bit of Royal Tenenbaums mixed with a Philip Glass score. Once I hit the last page, I wanted to take the rest of the day to walk around the city mulling over what I read, then head home and read it again. The layers upon layers of story and nuance are fascinating, and a true work of art. Not to mention the real art in the form of "visual aids" drafted by Pessl.

I am depressed in knowing that I did not write a book like this first. But I am glad that someone did, because I needed a great work of fiction to discover and devour over this cold weekend.