The Curiosity by Stephen Kiernan

Hi all, busy busy week, but I wanted to pop in and steer you to the wonderful novel The Curiosity by Stephen Kiernan.

When I saw the tagline “What if the love of your life died decades before you were born?” I thought, “Oh no, how have I wound up with the latest Nicholas Sparks monstrosity?”

But thankfully the love story in The Curiosity–and it is ultimately a love story–is beautifully rendered and satisfying. I’m not going to say more because 1) I’m short on time and 2) the story, told from multiple viewpoints, unfolds so exquisitely that I don’t want to give anything away.

I was on an author’s panel with Mr. Kiernan at ALA in June, and the more he talked about this book, the more excited I got. Well, what sounded promising is even better on the page.

Curiosity tell the story of a man, Jeremiah Rice, who died in the 19th century. He is revived in modern day by a team of scientists, including the lovely Kate Philo, who gets tasked with showing him the world he has returned to.

Stephen’s non-fiction is also brilliant, but I hope he writes more fiction. This is a seriously great read, to phrase it in a very vague, cliched, and unwriterly way.

 

 

Also, if there has ever been a novel featuring a more infuriating, pompous scientist than Erastus Carthage, please don’t tell me.