They used to send each other letters. The return address was always the same: Dept. of Speculation. They used to be young, brave, and giddy with hopes for their future. They got married, had a child, and skated through all the small calamities of family life. But then, slowly, quietly something changes. As the years rush by, fears creep in and doubts accumulate until finally their life as they know it cracks apart and they find themselves forced to reassess what they have lost, what is left, and what they want now. Written with the dazzling lucidity of poetry, Dept. of Speculation navigates the jagged edges of a modern marriage to tell a story that is darkly funny, surprising and wise.
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[Antelopes have 10×10 vision, you said]***
(Granta Books, 30 January 2014, 194 pages, ebook, #popsugarreadingchallenge 2019, a book with no chapters / unusual chapter headings / unconventionally numbered chapters, bought from @AmazonKindle)
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After reading this book, I don't think it quite fits into the category, but hey ho, the end of the year is approaching and I'm not going to start changing things now. I found this book incredibly sad. The marriage of the two main characters is disintegrating and the book consists of extracts from love letters written to each other before they were married and in the early days of marriage before things turned sour. I found it incredibly sad how things gradually started to crumble. The book is funny at times, darkly funny tinged with sadness and regret. I really felt for the characters. I didn't expect to be some moved by their situation. I'd love to see what else the author has written.
