Peck & Peck by Bonnie Garmus
After the success of Lessons in Chemistry, Bonnie Garmus returns with a story about a young man whose life is turned upside down when he is hired by the world's most prestigious (and dysfunctional) poetry journal.
Set in New York City in the 1980s, recent graduate Batter Gray is struggling to find his direction in life. His classmates have pursued conventional careers, but he’s passionately drawn to poetry. It’s not an easy passion to turn into a career, and with student loans mounting, Batter spends his days working minimum-wage jobs in a restaurant and folding T-shirts for a living.
When he unexpectedly lands a position at the legendary literary journal Peck & Peck, it seems like a dream opportunity. But the reality is far stranger.
The journal is a chaotic institution run by feuding brothers and staffed by 39 editors who take poetry very seriously. Batter soon finds himself caught in the middle of the workplace drama. Behind the rivalries and power struggles are bigger questions about originality, truth and the value of human creativity.
If you enjoyed Lessons in Chemistry, you’ll appreciate the humour and warmth in this character-driven story. A recurring theme throughout the novel is duality, or the idea there are often two sides to every story. This is reflected in Batter’s connection to his identical twin, who died at birth. We learn how this absence shapes the way Batter sees the world. The rivalry between the Peck brothers mirrors this idea too.
Throughout the novel, characters face choices between truth and lies, rejection and acceptance, art and commerce. It’s a clever reminder that there are multiple sides to every story and life is rarely as simple as choosing one over the other.
Bonnie expertly captures the grit of early 1980s New York while creating an intense workplace that feels almost surreal. The literary world is gently satirised, while the novel remains committed to the idea that words matter.
What I like most is the way Peck & Peck celebrates poetry and the wonderfully imperfect people who devote their lives to art. It’s a love letter to creativity, while also considering questions of authenticity and connection. The humour keeps the pages turning, but it’s the characters that stay with you.
Reviewer: Andrea Molloy
Simon & Schuster
