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Vendor
Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English

GRAVITY IS THE THING

Jaclyn Moriarty

A smart, wickedly funny, break-your-heart novel about missing persons, single motherhood, happiness, and the self-help industry.
Abigail Sorenson's brother Robert went missing when she was fifteen years old. That same year she began receiving scattered chapters in the mail of a "we help" manual, the Guidebook. If you read this book, the Guidebook promised, and follow its instructions, your life will soar to heights beyond your wildest dreams. Its chapters have remained a constant in her life - a befuddling yet oddly comforting voice through her brother's inexplicable disappearance, a move across continents, the devastating dissolution of her marriage, and the beginnings of her life as a single mother in Sydney.

She has never known exactly why she was chosen to receive these chapters. Why sometimes their arrival aligns so perfectly with her life that the pages feel like manifestations of her own thoughts. Why she has followed their instructions, the simple tasks they sometimes requested of her, without serious question. Why, every year, she has posted to the mysterious return address her own reflection on her year since past. Why she has always chosen to continue instead of simply opting out.

Now, twenty years later, Abi receives an invitation to an all-expenses paid weekend retreat to learn "the truth" about the Guidebook -- an opportunity too intriguing to refuse. If Everything is connected, then surely the twin mysteries of the Guidebook and a missing brother must be linked? If Abigail follows the one impossible path, surely it will cross that other, bigger impossibility and bring her missing brother back to her?

Jaclyn Moriarty grew up in Sydney, Australia, with five siblings (including author Liane Moriarty). She studied law at the University of Sydney, Yale, and Cambridge, and worked as an entertainment lawyer before she wrote the Ashbury High YA novels. She was previously married to Canadian writer Colin McAdam, and they have one young son, Charlie. She currently lives in Sydney. GRAVITY IS THE THING is her first novel for adults.
Available products
Book

Published 2019-10-01 by HarperCollins

Book

Published 2019-10-01 by HarperCollins

Comments

Marian Keyes' effusive video gushing about GRAVITY IS THE THING by Jaclyn Moriarty. Read more...

With an eye as keen for human idiosyncrasies as Miranda July's, and a sense of humor as bright and surprising as Maria Semple's, this is a novel of pure velocity; it sucks the reader into Abi's problems and her joys in equal, brilliant measure.

France: Michel Lafon, Israel: Armchair Publishers, UK: Allen&Unwin, Hungarian: Muvelt Nep

...an utterly unique story of one woman's journey of self-discovery... Moriarty's characters are delightfully fun and quirky, with Wilbur's attempt to carry out his parents' dream a heartening subplot.

At its heart, Moriarty's complex and nimble plot serves as a vehicle for a deeper story of the devastating, lifelong trauma caused by a great loss. In between adorable moments with her mercurial toddler and quirky excerpts from The Guidebook, Abi relates the exhaustion and isolation of grief in wry but heartrending detail. Redemptive and hopeful, Gravity is the Thing announces the arrival of a fresh, funny and perceptive voice in adult fiction.

I loved this book. It's rare for me to have no idea where a story is headed but I only knew that I didn't want it to end. Funny, heartbreaking and clever with a mystery at its heart.

Here, Jaclyn Moriarty has given readers a tender and exhilarating tale of what becomes possible when you dare to believe in the impossible. GRAVITY IS THE THING brims with mystery and enchantment on every page. This book will leave readers breathless and aching for more.

This book is a joy and rush of fresh water for the soul. Read more...

...Recently, numerous books have used the trope of the retreat as a device. Maureen Goo's second book includes an influencer retreat. Conley's Elsey Came Home is centered around a retreat. Point being, you might pass this book because you have read something similar. Well, let's me tell you--you haven't. This book surprises the reader on many levels. Firstly, the writing is a bit of a wily creature, moving seamlessly between forms in a compelling manner. The story is also metamorphic, starting as a middle-aged coming-of-age with hints of Bridget Jones only to morph into something else entirely. The story has a fable-quality, in the best sense of the term. The main character's revelations are personal to her situation but really feel universal. The writing is exceptional, and the story is thoughtful. This book is a rare literary achievement. Find a copy.

A thoughtful, beautifully written, truly original, and often hilarious meditation on loss, hope, the self-help industry, and the difficulties of navigating life on earth.

The funniest, smartest writer I now, who happens to be my sister. She is incapable of writing a boring sentence, even in an email. My entire career has been fueled by envy of her talent.

GRAVITY IS THE THING is a beautiful, lyrical curiosity of a book. It's about loss and hope, but it's deliciously funny, too, and the writing is so fantastic I found myself reading passages out loud just to savour them.

GRAVITY IS THE THING was included in the Minneapolis Star Tribune's list of 45 books to keep you reading all summer long. They said: "[A] hilarious, incandescent novel... Moriarty's originality and humor flow on every page of this wise take on loss and healing."

Oh, how I loved this book! Moriarty's voice is so accessible and authentic that I fell in love with Abi, the main character in GRAVITY IS THE THING. All of the characters are delightful (with the exception of Abi's husband, who I wanted to give a swift kick in the gonads) and the plot line was one of the most original I have experienced in years. GRAVITY IS THE THING has got it all and I can't wait to read Moriarty's next work. I'll be buying lot of copy of this one as gifts.

Bestselling young adult novelist Jaclyn Moriarty brings her unfettered imagination and a buoyant sense of humor to Gravity is the Thing. She explores difficult subjects, such as the loss of a sibling, with a light touch. As Abi accepts an invitation to re-examine her life, readers may laugh, cry, and even reflect on their own paths of discovery.

I am in love with this hilarious and tender story about characters who enchanted and surprised me up to the last page. Gravity is the Thing will lift you up and leave you wondering if the most impossible ideas are actually the heart of everything.

Gravity is the Thing is Jaclyn Moriarty's debut adult novel and IT. IS. EVERYTHING!!! Jaclyn has been successful with her young adult novels so I was excited to get my hands on her first adult novel and it completely lived up to all of my expectations (and then some)! The storyline is brilliantly original!!! I found myself thinking throughout this novel that I've never read anything like this before and my second thought was I never want this book to end. This addictive book has it all- humor, quirk, mystery all mixed up with both anguish and joy! Gravity is the Thing deserves all of the stars and I wish I could give it more than 5 because it's that flipping fantastic!

Quirky and beguiling, this witty quest for the truth will delight anyone mending their own broken life.