Special Topics in Calamity Physics by Marisha Pessl - Review

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Blue's unusual life growing up has led her to a group of wild friends at her new school and their teacher. After a series of strange events, a drowning, and the shocking death of their teacher all lead to mysteries that require solving. Blue will need to put all of her broad cultural lexicon and instincts to the test if she hopes to find answers.

Smart, edgy, funny, and dark is a great way to describe Pessl's debut novel. It took me a while to get into the style and the tone, but once I did I couldn't look away. As I got into the swing of things, I could see how charismatic and likable the novel is trying to be and sometimes it really worked for me. I enjoyed getting to know Blue, her father, and everyone at St. Gallway. At the same time, however, it also comes across as uber-pretentious and far too clever for its own good. Considering the characters themselves this isn't exactly a problem with the book, but it can make the cast unpalatable.


I read this novel from July 18 - 23, 2015 and my review is also on Goodreads.