RaveThe Literary Reviewa perfect, condensed (as in nothing spare or superfluous – every word is knife point) chronicle of lives lived with full-on, unapologetic drama and baggage. Not the lives our pre-adult selves imagined having, but the emotional grist that most of us actually end up with ... a simple premise, elegantly conveyed with Offill’s spartan prose ... The unusual and profound sense of intimacy with the characters draws the reader in. There is no bluster, no pretense, just discovery and disillusion. This is real, she seems to be saying, not some glib writerly version of a main character ... It seems just right in this compressed, texty, tweety world to deliver the story so simply, without flourish, more like a conversation than a narrative ... Offill has transcended the need to moralize. Instead, picking up Dept. Of Speculation is like having a long lunch with a funny and cherished best friend. The story is engaging and enviously clever. There are no lessons taught here, no dénouement, but you can plan on coming away with the sense that we might all be okay, that there is enough joy in our drama-filled, baggage laden lives to make the journey worthwhile.
