The Answers
“A sparkling satire of our era of big data.”
Wall Street Journal
An Elle Magazine Pick of the 25 Most Anticipated Books by Women for 2017
A BuzzFeed Books Pick for Most Anticipated Books
A Chicago Review of Books Pick of Best of the Year So Far
Esquire Magazine Best Book of the Year So Far
One of Kirkus Reviews’ Best Books of 2017
An NPR Best Book of 2017
A Literary Hub Pick of 2017's Notable Books
A Huffington Post Best Book of 2017
A New York Times Critics’ Top Books of 2017 selection
A New York Times bestseller in paperbacks
A New York Times Pick of Best New Books in Paperback
Longlisted for the Brooklyn Public Library Literary Prize for Fiction
A New York Public Library Staff Pick
In Catherine Lacey's ambitious second novel we are introduced to Mary, a young woman living in New York City struggling with a body that has betrayed her. All but paralyzed with pain, Mary seeks relief from a New Age-y treatment called Pneuma Adaptive Kinesthesia, PAKing for short. And, remarkably, it works.
But PAKing is expensive and Mary is broke. So she scours Craigslist for fast-cash jobs and finds the "Girlfriend Experiment," the brainchild of an eccentric and narcissistic actor determined to find the perfect relationship-even if it means paying women to fill different roles. Mary is hired as the "emotional girlfriend"-certainly better than the "anger girlfriend" or the "maternal girlfriend"-and is pulled into an ego-driven and messy attempt at human connection.
Told in Lacey's signature spiraling prose, The Answers is full of singular yet universal insights. It is a gorgeous hybrid of the plot- and idea-driven novel that will leave you reeling.
Praise