The Book of Speculation

Books | Fiction / Literary

3.8

(357)

Erika Swyler

A haunting debut novel of magic, family secrets, and the power of books, perfect for fans of The Night Circus and The Historian.Simon Watson, a young librarian, lives alone in a crumbling house on Long Island Sound. His parents are long dead, and his mother, a circus mermaid who made her living by holding her breath, drowned in the very water his house overlooks. His younger sister, Enola, ran off six years ago and now reads tarot cards for a traveling carnival.One June day, an old book arrives on Simon's doorstep, sent by an antiquarian bookseller. The fragile, water-damaged volume is a log from the owner of a traveling carnival in the 1700s, chronicling strange and magical events, including the drowning death of a circus mermaid. Since then, generations of "mermaids" in Simon's family have drowned—always on July 24, which is only weeks away.As his friend Alice looks on with alarm, Simon becomes increasingly worried about his sister. Could there be a curse on Simon's family? What does it have to do with the mysterious book, and can he unravel the mystery in time to save Enola? The Book of Speculation is Erika Swyler's moving debut novel, an intricately crafted tale of family secrets, magic, and the enduring power of books.

Fantasy

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More Details:

Author

Erika Swyler

Pages

352

Publisher

St. Martin's Publishing Group

Published Date

2015-06-23

ISBN

146685779X 9781466857797

Ratings

Google: 5

Community ReviewsSee all

"Finished April 4th. First book of April. "

Nikki Nienhaus

"I wanted to like this book. The plot was great but it was just too slow for me. "

Rachel Therese

"It was a beautiful story! Finished it in 5 days as by the end I could not put it down. Very original."

Alaina Mingle

"It was good but nothing compared to night circus. More YA than adult "

ana villasenor

"So I started off this book feeling pretty apathetic toward it, and then all of a sudden I was up until 1 am dying to know how it ended. I was actually fairly impressed with the plot; it had a interconnectedness that felt fresh rather than cliche. It was enough family drama mixed with historical fiction to keep fans of both genres happy, so if you are so inclined I would probably recommend."

A P

Allie Peduto

"The storytelling was top notch. The author did a fantastic job with both character building and jumping back and forth between time periods. It was seamless. Well done and worth a read."

Nichole Buchanan

"Interesting read. I learned more about circuses and tarot cards. I also liked the family connection and history."

Jessica A

"<strong>Couldn't put it down </strong><br/><br/>Maybe it's an inherent fascination with the odd or different, but the characters and story in this book captured me in a way that only book lovers know, in that way we always search for. This book will become a part of me"