In Department of Speculation, author Jenny Offill employs an unusual style to tell the
story of a marriage. In this book, the wife (all characters are unnamed)
records thoughts and experiences about her life in New York City. She ruminates about earlier suitors, how her
husband wooed and won her, the birth of their child, the stress of living with
bedbugs and, eventually, the strain of infidelity on a marriage, even a
marriage with what seems to be an ideal partner. With small observations about
Buddhism, stars, Antarctic exploration, space travel and other diverse
subjects, Jenny Offill tells a modern day love story in lyrical, poetic
language.
