I inhaled this tiny, brisk novel by Jenny Offill. I’m not sure that there is much for me to add to the conversation about this renowned book, Dept. of Speculation.
Written in the style I would credit to Anne Carson, it is a first person narrated story about a woman and her marriage, accompanied by the inconsistent inclusion of a daughter, an ex boyfriend, a philosopher, and a space writer?? It is totally as wacky as you are thinking, and a delight to read, spliced with quotes from Greek and Roman antiquity, modern philosophy, and a few curiously abrupt racist ideas. If you find those as weird as I did, please let me know. I’m not sure what to make of them.
It is indeed a clever novel, which I enjoyed immensely. I read it in one day —yesterday. I do not think it gave me more than an enjoyable afternoon of reading, except perhaps a new appreciation for Anne Carson and her influence. Offill has a new novel, Weather, which I am now interested in reading though not desperately so.