The Book of Speculation: A Novel

Erika Swyler

Jun 2015 · Sold by St. Martin's Press

About this ebook

One of BuzzFeed's 24 Best Fiction Books of 2015

"As Simon, a lonely research librarian, searches frantically for the key to a curse that might be killing the women in his family, he learns strange and fascinating secrets about their past. A tale full of magic and family mystery, The Book of Speculation will keep you up all night reading."—Isaac Fitzgerald, BuzzFeed

Simon Watson, a young librarian, lives alone in a house that is slowly crumbling toward the Long Island Sound. His parents are long dead. His mother, a circus mermaid who made her living by holding her breath, drowned in the very water his house overlooks. His younger sister, Enola, ran off six years ago and now reads tarot cards for a traveling carnival.

One June day, an old book arrives on Simon's doorstep, sent by an antiquarian bookseller who purchased it on speculation. Fragile and water damaged, the book is a log from the owner of a traveling carnival in the 1700s, who reports strange and magical things, including the drowning death of a circus mermaid. Since then, generations of "mermaids" in Simon's family have drowned--always on July 24, which is only weeks away.

As his friend Alice looks on with alarm, Simon becomes increasingly worried about his sister. Could there be a curse on Simon's family? What does it have to do with the book, and can he get to the heart of the mystery in time to save Enola?

In the tradition of Sara Gruen's Water for Elephants, Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, and Elizabeth Kostova's The Historian, The Book of Speculation--with two-color illustrations by the author--is Erika Swyler's moving debut novel about the power of books, family, and magic.

Ratings and reviews

The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler is an interesting book. Simon Watson is a librarian in Napawset. He receives a book in the mail from Martin Churchwarry of Churchwarry and Sons. The book is very old and, unfortunately, suffers from water damage. Simon starts reading the book because his grandmother’s name is written in it. The book was started by Hermelius Peabody who ran a type of traveling carnival called Peabody’s Portable Magic and Miracles. There was the wild boy, the fortune teller, the mermaid, and etc. The book turns out to be an owner’s log. It is supposed to always stay with the show. The book has ideas for acts, the names of the performers, accounting information, items obtained, and so on. The book makes Simon research his family history. Simon discovers that there is a trend. Simon lost his mother when he was a little boy. His sister, Enola, was only two at the time. While their mother was an expert swimmer and could hold her breath for close to ten minutes under water, she drowned. Then Simon finds out that his grandmother drowned. The same month as his mother. They both died in July and before they were thirty years old. Upon more research he finds out that the women in his family have all drowned before they were thirty in the month of July. Simon is worried about his sister, Enola. She has come home for a visit and is acting strangely. Simon believes the book was sent to him for a reason. The book alternates between modern time with Simon and the past when Hermelius Peabody meet the Wild Boy (they named him Amos). Amos was the product of a farmer’s wife and a traveling salesman. The wife’s husband left him in the wood when he was old enough to feed himself and walk. Amos came upon Peabody and traveling acts. Amos was a mute. The story tells of Amos’ time with Peabody, how he learned to read tarot cards, and fell in love with a “mermaid”. It all connects together. Can Simon figure out why the women in his family are cursed in time to save Enola? I give The Book of Speculation 3 out of 5 stars. It is an interesting story, great idea, but the book is a slow read. It just seems to go on forever. There is a copious amount of foul language in this book (and completely unnecessary), mild violence (people hitting each other), and a moderate amount of sex. This book had great potential, but instead it is a mediocre (I found it dissatisfying). I received a complimentary copy of The Book of Speculation in exchange for an honest review. The review and opinions expressed are my own.

best book ive read so far. the title caught my eye in a target store but i bought it online so i can carry it with me. im on my way to purchase the actual book to add it to my personal library!

A rare an awesome thing to crawl inside a story an get lost. One of the best!

About the author

ERIKA SWYLER is a graduate of New York University. Her short fiction has appeared in WomenArts Quarterly Journal, Litro, Anderbo.com, and elsewhere. Her writing is featured in the anthology Colonial Comics, and her work as a playwright has received note from the Jane Chambers Award. Born and raised on Long Island's North Shore, Erika learned to swim before she could walk, and happily spent all her money at traveling carnivals. She blogs and has a baking Tumblr with a following of 60,000. Erika recently moved from Brooklyn back to her hometown, which inspired the setting of the book. The Book of Speculation is her debut novel.