Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Waiting on Wednesday: The History of History

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted at Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases.
I love it when I read a book and wonder exactly what was going on in the author's head (in a good way). There are some stories so strange they could not have been written by anyone but the person who wrote them, and one upcoming example of that is the debut novel by Ida Hattemer-Higgins, The History of History.
A ferociously smart and electrifyingly original debut novel.

2002. A young woman named Margaret stumbles one morning from the forest outside Berlin—hands dirty, clothes torn. She can remember nothing of the night.

2004. An enigmatic letter arrives from an unknown doctor, a self-styled “memory surgeon” claiming to be concerned for her fate. Shortly after, the city of Berlin transforms. Nazi ghosts manifest as preening falcons; buildings turn to flesh.

This is the story of Margaret’s descent into madness and her race to recover her lost history—the night in the forest and the chasm that opened in her life as a result. Awash in guilt, Margaret finds her amnesia resonating—more and more clamorously—with two suppressed tragedies of Berlin’s darkest hour.

Harrowing and provocative, beguiling in its lyricism and sensuality, The History of History tells a tale of obsessive love, family ruptures, and a nation’s grief. And it is an elegy to “the history of history”—the role of the German past in the psychic life of the present age. With this first novel, thirty-year-old Ida Hattemer-Higgins establishes herself as a bold and prodigiously gifted talent.
Published January 18th 2011 by Knopf, The History of History will definitely be one strange book I can't wait to get my hands on.

How do you feel about odd literature? Do you have any truly weird books to recommend?

10 comments:

  1. Hmm...I think I would love reading this book! I can't wait for this to come out!

    I don't have much to say about odd lit because I just read what I want, and I don't even really have a particular genre favorite, if you would look at my library at home, you'll see an almost equal numbers of books in different genres - although I don't really appreciate science and paranormal fiction that much, in my point of view, those are examples of odd literature. But of course I'm speaking based on personal preference here.

    And thank you for recommending Wintergirls! I'm almost done with it, a review is in order within this week. :D

    Brush Up On Your Reading

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  2. I'll have to think on that. Wicked by Gregory McGuire was odd and weird I thought, and I LOVED it! This book looks great too.

    :0) ~ Amy Jo
    amyjrockstar@gmail.com

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  3. Sounds interesting. Hope it's worth the wait. You can see what we are waiting on here

    Pixie

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  4. Wow this sounds very intense. Great pick!

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  5. I personally like a wide range of genres, "odd" reading or not this book does sound interesting and hope you get it to enjoy!

    My WoW if you have a chance to stop by



    jackie >_<

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  6. This looks interesting. The cover is great. My WoW is at Coffee Table Press

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  7. How to Knit a Heart Back Home
    By Rachael Herron
    Publication date: March 1, 2011

    Lucy Harrison sells books by day and volunteers with the Cypress Hollow fire department by night. Her life is just the way she likes it—full, even-keeled, and smooth—until bad-boy ex-cop Owen Bancroft comes back to town. Lucy has always been fearless, never scared about diving in to help others. When it comes to risking her heart, however, she realizes she's absolutely terrified.

    In a small town like Cypress Hollow, everyone knows your business—and there is nowhere to hide. Then Lucy and Owen are thrown together by the discovery of the lost work of local legend, knitting guru Eliza Carpenter. Now Owen, adrift and struggling to redefine himself as a civilian without a badge, will have to learn how to open himself up to life's new possibilities . . . while Lucy decides just how much of herself she's willing to gamble on love.

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  8. I don't think I have read anything that was really weird but I would be open to give it a try.

    Happy Reading.

    My WOW

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  9. This sounds like an awesome book. Definitely adding it to my TBR list.

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