Bonnie Garmus, the author who made chemistry cool again with her 2022 No. 1 bestseller Lessons in Chemistry, is back with a completely different kind of book. Peck&Peck follows Batter Gray, a poetry-loving young man who lands a copy-room job at a legendary Manhattan poetry journal in the early 1980s, all under the roof of a fantastical building. The boss? The volatile Salton Peck, whose twin brother Declonius was ousted after an embezzlement conviction.
Critics are praising the novel’s workplace comedy as its strongest element, with Slate calling the office satire genuinely funny and Wodehousian at its best. The review also notes the plot gets weighed down by a flimsy love story and courtroom drama, and that the ending feels rushed. Still, the verdict lands in Garmus’s favor: trading her sure-thing commercial formula for fresh territory was a respectable, even brave, choice.
A rare popular novel that sends readers back to real poetry might just be the perfect book club pick this fall. Whether you were obsessed with the Lessons in Chemistry TV series or just love a good office comedy, Peck&Peck sounds like a wild ride. Are you team“sequel must top the original”or team“let authors evolve”? Tell us in the comments.
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Local Lawton
Local Lawton is a contributor to LocalBeat, covering local news and community stories.