Written by: Matt Sloan

Alex Green will be talking with novelist Erika Swyler as part of A Great Good Place For Books’ ongoing In Conversation series.

The event will be tonight (June 20) at 7pm at the beloved Oakland bookstore.

The Book Of Speculation finds a young librarian trying to get to the bottom of what may or not be a curse that has been killing the mermaid women of his family for generations.

Swyler’s debut novel has garnered praise from all over the globe. Sara Gruen, author of Water For Elephants gushed, “In this dazzling novel, the immensely talented Erika Swyler sweeps seamlessly through generations and centuries, moving deftly back and forth and weaving the strands into an exquisite tapestry. I was immediately swept up in this quirky, raucous, and bewitching family saga. Swyler’s prose is so polished and elegant it reads effortlessly, even as her distinct voice shines through–her rendering of the sea and its savage appetite rivals that of Annie Proulx’s in The Shipping News. I absolutely loved this book, and consumed it whole. My only complaint is that I am already on the edge of my seat waiting for her next.”

Meanwhile, author Katherine Dunn (Geek Love) wrote that the book “…is a luscious experience–dark, sweet, and wild.”