Dept of Speculation
by Jenny Offill · first published 2014
2mentions
1recommended by
2HN commenters
2014–2015first – last mentioned
50% recommend50% neutral
"Dept. of Speculation is a portrait of a marriage. It is also a beguiling rumination on the mysteries of intimacy, trust, faith, knowledge, and the condition of universal shipwreck that unites us all. Jenny Offill's heroine, referred to in these pages as simply "the wife," once exchanged love letters with her husband, postmarked Dept. of Speculation, their code name for all the uncertainty that inheres in life and in the strangely fluid confines of a long relationship. As they confront an array of common catastrophes--a colicky baby, bedbugs, a faltering marriage, stalled ambitions--the wife a
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…see someone take an in depth look at the flaws of a cause they support, it has just the right amount of technical detail for me, and it really sheds light on how the wildest bugs get into any system. Dept. of Speculation A mostly unflinching look at a difficult modern relationship from a woman's perspective. There are some hard truths in it that are surprisingly easy to swallow. Moby Dick I read this novel in high…
on “Ask HN: What book that you read in 2015 significantly affected how you think?” ↗…by Lydia Davis 15. 'The Cold Song' by Linn Ullmann. Translated by Barbara J. Haveland 16. 'Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki And His Years Of Pilgrimage' by Haruki Murakami. Translated by Philip Gabriel 17. 'Dept. Of Speculation' by Jenny Offill 18. 'The Dog' by Joseph O’Neill 19. 'Euphoria' by Lily King 20. 'Everything I Never Told You' by Celeste Ng 21. 'F' by Daniel Kehlmann. Translated by Carol Brown Janeway 22. 'Faithful…
on “Notable Books of 2014” ↗