From Powells.com
Staff Pick
A book that weaves together the tales of a Nazi war criminal and, decades later, his great-nephew who has been removed from the timestream, The Lost Time Accidents is a must-read for fans of family sagas, historical fiction, and Neal Stephenson-style science fiction. Recommended By Ashleigh B., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
In his ambitious and fiercely inventive new novel, The Lost Time Accidents,
John Wray takes us from turn-of-the-century Viennese salons buzzing
with rumors about Einstein's radical new theory to the death camps of
World War Two, from the golden age of postwar pulp science fiction to a
startling discovery in a Manhattan apartment packed to the ceiling with
artifacts of modern life.
Haunted by a failed love affair and the
darkest of family secrets, Waldemar 'Waldy' Tolliver wakes one morning
to discover that he has been exiled from the flow of time. The world
continues to turn, and Waldy is desperate to find his way back-a journey
that forces him to reckon not only with the betrayal at the heart of
his doomed romance but also the legacy of his great-grandfather's fatal
pursuit of the hidden nature of time itself.
Part madcap adventure, part harrowing family drama, part scientific mystery — and never less than wildly entertaining — The Lost Time Accidents is a bold and epic saga set against the greatest upheavals of the twentieth century.
Review
“John Wray is the next wave of American fiction.” Jonathan Lethem
Review
“John Wray gets his Calvino on, his Mitchell on, his Murakami on, and
even his Joyce on in this spectacular rattlebag of a novel. The Lost Time Accidents circulates
through time and geography — from New York to outer space to Central
Europe — and eventually ebbs eloquently back to the essential questions
of who we are and why we're here. Who says the novel is dead? Just smash
the clocks and open this book.” Colum McCann
Review
"[A]n arresting mosaic of science fiction, history, and philosophy which
proves Wray’s (Lowboy, 2010) remarkable malleability and talent.” Booklist (starred review)
About the Author
John Wray is the author of critically acclaimed novels including Lowboy, The Right Hand of Sleep and Canaan’s Tongue. He was named one of Granta magazine’s Best of Young American Novelists in 2007. The recipient of a Whiting Award, he lives in Brooklyn, New York.