Skip to content
Responsive image
Vendor
Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories

TRIPPING ARCADIA

Kit Mayquist

A propulsive and atmospheric modern Gothic with all the splendor of The Great Gatsby, this debut novel also has all the secrets, lies, and darkness that opulence can hide.
Med school dropout Lena is desperate for a job, any job, to help her parents, who are approaching bankruptcy after her father was injured and laid off nearly simultaneously. So, when she is offered a position, against all odds, working for one of Boston's most elite families, the illustrious and secretive Verdeaus, she knows she must accept it - no matter how bizarre the interview or how vague the job description.

By day, she is assistant to the family doctor and his charge, Jonathan, the sickly, poetic, drunken heir to the family empire, who is as difficult as his illness is mysterious. By night, Lena discovers the more sinister side of the family, as she works overtime at their lavish parties, helping to hide their self-destructive tendencies... and trying not to fall for Jonathan's alluring sister, Audrey. But when she stumbles upon the knowledge that the Verdeau patriarch is the one responsible for the ruin of her own family, Lena vows to get revenge - a poison-filled quest that leads her further into this hedonistic world than she ever bargained for, forcing her to decide how much - and who - she's willing to sacrifice for payback.

The perfect next read for fans of Mexican Gothic, TRIPPING ARCADIA is a page-turning and shocking tale with an unforgettable protagonist that explores family legacy and inheritance, the sacrifices we must make to get by in today's world, and the intoxicating, dangerous power of wealth.

A fan of everything spooky and indulgent, Kit Mayquist is a bisexual, trans male writer who can be found in the historic shadows of Boston, MA, hunched over his desk with a sullen Persian cat in his lap and surrounded in antiques. He has a MA degree in Medieval History from the University of Iceland, and a BA from Portland State University (and if you ask him, yes, Stumptown will always have the best coffee).
Available products
Book

Published 2022-02-22 by Dutton

Comments

Gory and glittering, Tripping Arcadia is a classic in the making, effortlessly modernizing the gothic in a way that feels both fresh and timeless. Mayquist is a novelist to watch.

The novel is a queer, gothic Gatsby retelling and it checks every box for my favorite kind of story. Read more...

Fans of Mexican Gothic will love this page-turning debut from Kit Mayquist. Read more...

Kit Mayquist's deft ability to craft deliciously atmospheric tension, combined with his compelling, lyrical language made Tripping Arcadia a knockout powerhouse of a book I simply couldn't put down until I'd breathlessly inhaled it all. Don't miss this stunning debut.

Tripping Arcadia is a lush modern gothic tale, filled with decadent glamor and hidden secrets, where Donna Tartt meets Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers. Kit Mayquist weaves a world as alluring and dangerous as an arcane poison.

Mayquist embraces the gothic genre with delicious glee, peeling back a shimmery overlay of glamour to expose the rot beneath. With Tripping Arcadia, he has crafted a tale that thrums with eat-the-rich vibes and the exhilarating prospect of a have-not prevailing over the have-everythings. Its reckoning with the state of work in a capitalist society will energize readers, and they'll be rooting for the flawed yet captivating Lena through every creative twist and dark detail Read more...

A gripping, atmospheric read full of characters that will haunt your mind long after the book is finished. This novel seamlessly blends antique gothic sensibilities with burning modern questions of class, money, and status, all wrapped up in poisonously elegant prose.

In this evocative depiction of a dangerously seductive world, awash in gothic overtones, Mayquist tweaks class tensions as he portrays Lena's growing desperation for control.

A page-turning and shocking tale with an unforgettable protagonist that explores family legacy and inheritance, the sacrifices we must make to get by in today's world, and the intoxicating, dangerous power of wealth. Read more...

Billed as a Gothic novel, Mayquist's book definitely meets the requirements fans of the genre have come to expect. He offers a page-turning and gripping story that readers won't be able to put down. Read more...

I have never read a book like this before. It is at once dark, deep, and opulent... The ending is surprising with a twist I did not see coming. It is almost impossible to believe that this is Kit Mayquist's debut novel. I can't wait to see what he writes next. Read more...

TRIPPING ARCADIA is getting some Halloween love: it's featured in Book Riot's New and Recent Gothic Horror and No Tricks, Just Treats: Fun Halloween Books for Adults, where they say: "Without plot spoiling, let's just say Mayquist's novel is Gothic, sure, but also has undercurrents of romance and revenge that make it downright unputdownable." Read more...

...ominous, chilling, and page-turning queer Gothic thriller... Read more...

The Dark Side of the Library Podcast chatted about TA in their February dark fiction books preview Read more...

Combining the luxurious partying vibes and outsider perspective of The Great Gatsby with a revenge plot, budding queer romance, and some deadly botany, Tripping Arcadia is a lush Gothic thriller that definitely deserves a space on your shelf... Read more...

This queer modern gothic debut has drama, secrets, murder and intrigue; it was called "gory and glittering" by writer Hannah Whitten and I am here for it. Read more...

... a salacious tale of family drama, corporate dealings, dangerous secrets, and poison... A 21st-century Gothic with a fascinating botanical frame and an escalating sense of dread that will be savored by fans of Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Now You're One of Us, by Asa Nonami, and Creatures of Will and Temper, by Molly Tanzer. Read more...

Love a good romantic, Gothic suspense? Check this modern 21st-century Gothic thriller out! Read more...

From debut author Kit Mayquist, a propulsive and atmospheric modern Gothic with all the splendor of The Great Gatsby... and all the secrets, lies, and darkness that opulence can hide. Read more...

...a propulsive and atmospheric modern Gothic with all the splendor of The Great Gatsby... and all the secrets, lies, and darkness that opulence can hide... The perfect next read for fans of Mexican Gothic, Tripping Arcadia is a page-turning and shocking tale with an unforgettable protagonist that explores family legacy and inheritance, the sacrifices we must make to get by in today's world, and the intoxicating, dangerous power of wealth. Read more...