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Theory Markspurn
What happens when reality starts rewriting you?
Theory Markspurn is a haunting, character-driven literary thriller that explores the fragile boundaries between identity, ambition, and madness.
At the top of her game and with a pro career in reach, college volleyball star Theory Markspurn lives by routine, pressure, and relentless focus. But everything begins to fracture when a mysterious book appears, one that seems to be about her, yet written by someone she’s never met.
As her final season at Petrusia University unfolds, the real world and the book’s pages begin to blur. Theory finds herself unraveling under the weight of overwhelming expectations, physical strain, and strange visions: a pale girl in a sundress, a creature lurking in the shadows.
The only thing tethering her to reality is the book, and it might be the very thing undoing her.
Blending the slow-burning intensity of a psychological thriller with the emotional depth of a coming-of-age novel, L.C. Mitchell delivers a compelling debut about the price of greatness, the stories we tell ourselves, and what happens when the version of you the world demands becomes impossible to live inside.
One girl. One book. No way back.
A gripping journey that reads like Rudy meets Black Swan.
Theory Markspurn is a haunting, character-driven literary thriller that explores the fragile boundaries between identity, ambition, and madness.
At the top of her game and with a pro career in reach, college volleyball star Theory Markspurn lives by routine, pressure, and relentless focus. But everything begins to fracture when a mysterious book appears, one that seems to be about her, yet written by someone she’s never met.
As her final season at Petrusia University unfolds, the real world and the book’s pages begin to blur. Theory finds herself unraveling under the weight of overwhelming expectations, physical strain, and strange visions: a pale girl in a sundress, a creature lurking in the shadows.
The only thing tethering her to reality is the book, and it might be the very thing undoing her.
Blending the slow-burning intensity of a psychological thriller with the emotional depth of a coming-of-age novel, L.C. Mitchell delivers a compelling debut about the price of greatness, the stories we tell ourselves, and what happens when the version of you the world demands becomes impossible to live inside.
One girl. One book. No way back.
A gripping journey that reads like Rudy meets Black Swan.
280 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 1, 2025
12 people are currently reading
7 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
October 14, 2025
This book kept me wondering what would happen next. The plot is unlike anything else I've read. Excellent writing from the author in this debut novel. Bonus points for originality.
Displaying 1 of 1 review