"Special Topics in Calamity Physics" is a mesmerizing debut. As teenager Blue van Meer tells her story, we are hurled into a dizzying world of murder and butterflies, womanizing and wandering, American McCulture, The Western Canon, political radicalism and juvenile crushisms. Structured around a syllabus for a Great Works of Literature class (with hand-drawn Visual Aids), Blue's wickedly funny yet poignant tale reveals how the imagination finds meaning in the most bewildering times, the ways people of all ages strive for connection, and how the darkest of secrets can set us free.
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Review
'A compulsive page turner . . . dark and playful'
-- Thelondonpaper Thelondonpaper
'Beneath the foam of this exuberant debut is a dark, strong drink' -- Jonathan Franzen
'Donna Tartt goes postmodern ... Sharp, snappy fun for the literary-minded' -- Kirkus
‘Brilliant . . . guaranteed to join the ranks of 'The Secret
History' and 'Virgin Suicides' as a cult hit and instant classic' -- Sunday Telegraph
‘Exhilarating synthesis of the classic and the modern, frivolity and fate . . . This skylarking book will leave readers salivating for more' -- New York Times Book Review
‘Supremely inspired … a whirling, glittering, multifaceted marvel, delivered in an irrepressibly smart and flamboyant new voice … required reading’ -- New York Times
‘Triumphant. A supremely inspired, dazzling, wildly dynamic,
whirling, glittering, multifaceted marvel, delivered in an irrepressibly
smart and flamboyant new voice’ -- Scotsman
‘Undoubtedly one of the most impressive debut novels I have ever
read’ -- Independent on Sunday
‘Witty and exuberant . . . places the author alongside young, eclectic talents like Dave Eggers, Jonathan Safran Foer and Zadie Smith’ -- Vogue
‘[It] made me stay up all night reading . . . reminded me of my lost, bad-girl days. I loved this book’ -- Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife
-- Thelondonpaper Thelondonpaper
'Beneath the foam of this exuberant debut is a dark, strong drink' -- Jonathan Franzen
'Donna Tartt goes postmodern ... Sharp, snappy fun for the literary-minded' -- Kirkus
‘Brilliant . . . guaranteed to join the ranks of 'The Secret
History' and 'Virgin Suicides' as a cult hit and instant classic' -- Sunday Telegraph
‘Exhilarating synthesis of the classic and the modern, frivolity and fate . . . This skylarking book will leave readers salivating for more' -- New York Times Book Review
‘Supremely inspired … a whirling, glittering, multifaceted marvel, delivered in an irrepressibly smart and flamboyant new voice … required reading’ -- New York Times
‘Triumphant. A supremely inspired, dazzling, wildly dynamic,
whirling, glittering, multifaceted marvel, delivered in an irrepressibly
smart and flamboyant new voice’ -- Scotsman
‘Undoubtedly one of the most impressive debut novels I have ever
read’ -- Independent on Sunday
‘Witty and exuberant . . . places the author alongside young, eclectic talents like Dave Eggers, Jonathan Safran Foer and Zadie Smith’ -- Vogue
‘[It] made me stay up all night reading . . . reminded me of my lost, bad-girl days. I loved this book’ -- Audrey Niffenegger, author of The Time Traveler's Wife
About the Author
Marisha Pessl was born in 1977 and lives in New York. This is her first novel.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
37 of 39 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
My initial interest in this book was mainly down to the fact that I had read numerous reviews comparing it to Donna Tartt's 'The Secret History', one of my favourite novels of all time. Having finished it, I can now say with confidence that these comparisons are inaccurate and lazy. The only real similarity between the books is that both concern an elite group of young people in an academic setting (in this case, a much-admired clique known as the 'Bluebloods' in an American high school) whose friendships are torn apart by an unexpected death. Otherwise, they are entirely different; 'Special Topics in Calamity Physics' is a very odd book - in fact, it's one of the strangest I have ever read.
At first, I felt sure I was going to dislike the novel. For a start, there's the narrative voice; Blue van Meer is an extremely precocious sixteen-year-old girl who narrates the story using constant references, comparing everything to something else (the book would probably be about a third of its actual length if Blue's incessant metaphors and similies were removed). The style is exhausting, and the continual attempt to cram as many references as possible into each sentence quickly becomes irritating. Blue's narration is smug and self-satisfied, and it's hard to reconcile this with the fact that the character is apparently a 'wallflower' with little confidence and no real friends other than her fiercely academic father. The characterisation is also, if not exactly bad, then strange - it's difficult to believe that the Bluebloods would actually be friends with each other (or that they would command the respect and awe they mysteriously seem to enjoy from their peers), let alone accept Blue into their clique, however reluctantly.... Read more ›
At first, I felt sure I was going to dislike the novel. For a start, there's the narrative voice; Blue van Meer is an extremely precocious sixteen-year-old girl who narrates the story using constant references, comparing everything to something else (the book would probably be about a third of its actual length if Blue's incessant metaphors and similies were removed). The style is exhausting, and the continual attempt to cram as many references as possible into each sentence quickly becomes irritating. Blue's narration is smug and self-satisfied, and it's hard to reconcile this with the fact that the character is apparently a 'wallflower' with little confidence and no real friends other than her fiercely academic father. The characterisation is also, if not exactly bad, then strange - it's difficult to believe that the Bluebloods would actually be friends with each other (or that they would command the respect and awe they mysteriously seem to enjoy from their peers), let alone accept Blue into their clique, however reluctantly.... Read more ›
33 of 36 people found the following review helpful
By Sam Sanchez
Format:Hardcover
I loved this book.
The narrator has an excellent tone of voice and it never falls into the trap of other teen-narrated books - this girl is no idiot. Blue Van Meer has been raised only by her high-brow, low-comfort father since her mother's death in a car crash years earlier, and they've travelled from place to place ever since; partly due to his modern ideas of schooling, and partly due to his inability to treat women well.
She's finally landed at St. Galway's, where the hip, culty kids she's being forced towards (very Secret History) make it clear they don't want her around. But unlike so many of these books, she doesn't really want to be around them either, and it's her fresh eye and lack of usual gullibility that make this book worth reading. Why should she hang around with these kids? Is her father hiding something from her? And what truths does the death of Hannah Schneider hide - or reveal?
Bloody brilliant. Addictive. You'll give it to everyone.
The narrator has an excellent tone of voice and it never falls into the trap of other teen-narrated books - this girl is no idiot. Blue Van Meer has been raised only by her high-brow, low-comfort father since her mother's death in a car crash years earlier, and they've travelled from place to place ever since; partly due to his modern ideas of schooling, and partly due to his inability to treat women well.
She's finally landed at St. Galway's, where the hip, culty kids she's being forced towards (very Secret History) make it clear they don't want her around. But unlike so many of these books, she doesn't really want to be around them either, and it's her fresh eye and lack of usual gullibility that make this book worth reading. Why should she hang around with these kids? Is her father hiding something from her? And what truths does the death of Hannah Schneider hide - or reveal?
Bloody brilliant. Addictive. You'll give it to everyone.
14 of 16 people found the following review helpful
By R. Selby
Format:Hardcover
This is a very fresh, bubbling read from a young glamerous author who will go on to do great things. It's really a who-done-it, but the first half of the book contains some wonderfully observed references to literature and the interaction between school kids. Clever and witty, and in places reminding me of Joyce Carol Oates's - 'I'll Take You There'.
The second half tumbles at a hundred miles an hour, deepens in darkness, and after page 300 I just couldn't put it down. The injustices the main character - Blue - receives from her fellow 'bluebloods' is superbly observed and makes you want to scream out.
Minuses; The editors could have done more editing. Just when the storyline speeds up and the 'incident' occurs, we want to be getting to the denoument, but Pessl goes off on a thousand little tangents referring to stories in other works of literature that - frankly - I don't care about. I want to read Pessl's novel, not anyone elses. Also, Too Many Capitalised Words to underline common turns of phrase. It's distracting and ugly.
One more plus; slick old-skool presentation by Viking publishing; a very sexy dust cover on the hardback.
The second half tumbles at a hundred miles an hour, deepens in darkness, and after page 300 I just couldn't put it down. The injustices the main character - Blue - receives from her fellow 'bluebloods' is superbly observed and makes you want to scream out.
Minuses; The editors could have done more editing. Just when the storyline speeds up and the 'incident' occurs, we want to be getting to the denoument, but Pessl goes off on a thousand little tangents referring to stories in other works of literature that - frankly - I don't care about. I want to read Pessl's novel, not anyone elses. Also, Too Many Capitalised Words to underline common turns of phrase. It's distracting and ugly.
One more plus; slick old-skool presentation by Viking publishing; a very sexy dust cover on the hardback.
22 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
When Blue van Meer's father, a peripatetic college professor, agrees to let her spend her entire senior year at the same school, instead of moving each semester while he accepts visiting professorships all over the country, she quickly settles in at Stockton, NC. Enrolling at St. Gallway School, where she is expected to become the valedictorian, Blue finds herself inexplicably becoming part of "the Bluebloods," a group of five other students, all of whom have various family problems. This group moves in the orbit of Hannah Schneider, a charismatic teacher of film, who invites the group to her home each Sunday and serves as a sounding board for whatever problems they want to discuss.
Not really part of the group, Blue tries to fit in, often doing what Jade Vine wants to do, and eventually experimenting with alcohol, drugs, and sneaking into places where none of them have been invited. When a death occurs at a party at Hannah Schneider's house, Blue and the group decide to investigate. Since the story is a flashback from the opening chapter, the reader knows from the outset that Blue will eventually discover Hannah Schneider hanging, an electrical cord around her neck.
Using the name of a famous piece of world literature as the title of each chapter, author Marisha Pessl shows absurd parallels between the action of the novel and that of the famous literature. She packs her long novel with sensational plot elements--murder, lies, secret identities, betrayals, and dramatic parent/child issues--keeping the reader involved, even as her bright and breezy style sometimes alienates.... Read more ›
Not really part of the group, Blue tries to fit in, often doing what Jade Vine wants to do, and eventually experimenting with alcohol, drugs, and sneaking into places where none of them have been invited. When a death occurs at a party at Hannah Schneider's house, Blue and the group decide to investigate. Since the story is a flashback from the opening chapter, the reader knows from the outset that Blue will eventually discover Hannah Schneider hanging, an electrical cord around her neck.
Using the name of a famous piece of world literature as the title of each chapter, author Marisha Pessl shows absurd parallels between the action of the novel and that of the famous literature. She packs her long novel with sensational plot elements--murder, lies, secret identities, betrayals, and dramatic parent/child issues--keeping the reader involved, even as her bright and breezy style sometimes alienates.... Read more ›
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
1.0 out of 5 stars
Not very special at all
The best way to describe Pessl's debut is annoying with small tinges of promise. Unfortunately the annoying parts outway everything else. Read more
Published 14 months ago by madaboutbooks
5.0 out of 5 stars
Compelling and Addictive
When I first picked up this book, I was expecting something entirely different. I thought it was going to be a pretty simple book about a teacher who has killed herself and how her... Read more
Published 16 months ago by Sian
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant Blue
This is a brilliant, brilliant, brilliant book. I loved every moment of it. A great place to submerge yourself. Read more
Published 22 months ago by Howard Change
5.0 out of 5 stars
Desert island books
Review sections of amazon.co.uk are frequently rich in hyperbole-both overly positive and overly negative. Read more
Published on 25 Jan 2010 by Ed Foye
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great read (but wish there was rather less of it)
I really enjoyed this book - the first part drags a bit but it picks up tremendously in the second half and the last few chapters took me totally by surprise. Read more
Published on 3 Dec 2009 by Book Critic
4.0 out of 5 stars
Interesting debut
I picked this book up on a whim because it had a pretty cover, funky title and was in a 3 for 2 collection. Read more
Published on 7 Nov 2009 by Sulkyblue
5.0 out of 5 stars
Absolutely fun read!
Some readers found the constant annotations throughout this novel awkward and irritating. I found them to be tremendously funny and entertaining. Read more
Published on 21 Jun 2009 by Maureen A. Blake
4.0 out of 5 stars
It's certainly different!
Judging by the conflicting reviews so far, I reckon the author should be proud of herself having produced a book about which no two people seem to agree, Not bad for a first... Read more
Published on 7 Mar 2009 by lily mandolin
4.0 out of 5 stars
Perplexing and strange
It seems that readers of this book have not known quite what to make of it. Professional and amateur reviewers alike are clearly divided in their opinions. Read more
Published on 3 Nov 2008 by Trimalchio
1.0 out of 5 stars
Please, for the love of god, call a spade a spade...
I would quite like to track down the reviewer who compared this work of nigh-incomparable dullness to The Secret History and enquire as to whether she has ever read Tartt's work. Read more
Published on 22 Oct 2008 by MJ Perry
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