I was reading through the New York Times Book Review’s online edition today, which included a review of Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl. That Janet Maslin always knows just how to rope me in. It’s like she focus-grouped this review especially for me. Here’s a mashup of the review that includes only Maslin’s first and last sentences:
Marisha Pessl’s “Special Topics in Calamity Physics” is the most flashily erudite first novel since Jonathan Safran Foer’s “Everything Is Illuminated.” …Q: Is “Special Topics in Calamity Physics” required reading for devotees of inventive new fiction? A: Yes.
That’s the kind of praise that has been carefully calibrated to result in my running at top speed to the closest book store. Luckily, I noticed that the book will not be released until August 3rd. That gives me a few extra days to clear the decks. Bookslut’s Michael Schaub notes that Maslin’s review of “Calamity Physics” is the only one that does not mention the author’s appearance. In keeping with that tradition, I won’t mention that she’s sorta hot.