Review of Special Topics in Calamity Physics

Special Topics in Calamity Physics
by Marisha Pessl
Published by Penguin Books Ltd
August 2006
Acquired through bookswap



From Goodreads:


Marisha Pessl's mesmerizing debut has critics raving and heralds the arrival of a vibrant new voice in American fiction. At the center of this "cracking good read" is clever, deadpan Blue van Meer, who has a head full of literary, philosophical, scientific, and cinematic knowledge. But she could use some friends. Upon entering the elite St. Gallway school, she finds some - a clique of eccentrics known as the Bluebloods. One drowning and one hanging later, Blue finds herself puzzling out a byzantine murder mystery. Nabokov meets Donna Tartt (then invites the rest of the Western Canon to the party) in this novel - with "visual aids" drawn by the author - that has won over readers of all ages.


My Thoughts:


This was one of those books for me that when I finished I had to just sit back and say "What the hell just happened?"


I enjoyed the book very much. There are so many literary and cultural references though, I often felt as though I was missing something. (If you've watched the TV show Gilmore Girls, there were actually more references than they use!)When I think about the time that went into the novel on the part of the author I can hardly imagine. I enjoyed the local references, I only live about an hour from the area where the novel was set.


The story is told from the point of view of Blue van Meer, a young girl headed for the ivy league under the watch of a somewhat eccentric father, and is full of interesting characters and plenty of dysfunctional relationships.


Blue and her father, a traveling professor, finally settle in for Blue's final year of high school. Blue, at the urging of a very unconventional film teacher, joins a group of friends known as the bluebloods. Over the course of the school year Blue becomes close with Hannah Scnieder, the film teacher, and forms a unique bond with the woman who brings about more questions than answers.


Blue tells us in the first few pages about the unexpected death of Hannah Schnieder, and then goes back to lay out the story for us. 


I don't typically enjoy stories that start at the end, but in this case, it allowed me to try and read more into the plot throughout so that, thankfully, I had a fighting chance of keeping up in the last 100 pages where the entire story unravels and tries to catch up with itself. It was a really intense resolution that leaves a lot open to interpretation.


I don't like to include spoilers, but it is soo hard with this book! I definitely recommend it if you are a reader who doesn't mind taking your time with a book and really settling in for a while.