Play Book Tag discussion

Dept. of Speculation by Jenny Offill - 4* - My Review

This is a short meditative book about life. It is told in first person present tense by a young woman. She is initially called “the narrator,” and later becomes “the wife.” It is a story of a marriage that begins well, but with the stresses of a baby and a few bad decisions, the relationship falters. The narrator comments on the circumstances of her life, at a distance, almost like an impartial observer. It is a very creative take on how a person changes over time, particularly when facing issues such as spousal infidelity and the exhaustion of early motherhood.

We spend time in the narrator’s head as she attempts to work through these issues and examines her priorities. It is told in snippets of thoughts and ideas and can feel a bit fragmented. The narrator intersperses quotes and observations about science, spiritualism, and philosophy. For example: “The Buddhists say there are 121 states of consciousness. Of these, only three involve misery or suffering. Most of us spend our time moving back and forth between these three.”

The writing is stunning. I have read a couple of other books by this author, and this is my favorite by far. It is sad in places but also contains subtle humor. It is short (175 pages), reflective, and thought-provoking. Even though it deals with life’s struggles, and the narrator goes through many sad and depressing circumstances, it ends on a hopeful note.

“But now it seems possible that the truth about getting older is that there are fewer and fewer things to make fun of until finally there is nothing you are sure you will never be.”

4.5

Great review! I've owned this one a couple years now and this is motivating to get to it. I've read another by the author and I agree that she has an interesting style.

Thanks, Jen! Hope you enjoy it as much as I did whenever you get a chance to read it.

I read this ages ago and actually attended a book group on it with a bunch of therapists. I liked it well enough that I loved it more after having had the discussion.

I can see how it would make for a great book club discussion. The author does require the reader to fill in lots of blanks. I liked this aspect, but I can see why others would prefer a more fully fleshed out narrative.