Another captivating read from Bonnie Garmus

"My thanks to Simon & Schuster Canada and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review the ARC of 'Peck & Peck" by Bonnie Garmus. "Peck & Peck" tells a story many people can relate to. It is about the struggle of a young man, Batter Gray, who has an immense passion for poetry and no idea how to turn his passion into a paying career. Batter has no aptitude for writing poetry but he has the ear. He knows good poetry when he reads it. Growing up his parents try to steer him towards a realistic career path but Batter shows no interest in any other subject. He attends university but aimlessly switches from one major to another. Ultimately he finds himself in a grotty flat in New York, holding down three minimum wage jobs with no idea what he is doing with his life. Until one day he finds himself standing in front of a building he has dreamed of working in but didn't know existed, the headquarters of the prestigious poetry quarterly 'Peck & Peck". Bonnie Garmus, author of the bestselling novel 'A Lesson in Chemistry' gives us another captivating story of an individual working tirelessly to achieve their dreams. I loved the world building around 'Peck & Peck". The imagery Garmus constructs of the building and the company is richly layered. If you are a reader who pictures what they are reading you will find it easy to step into the world of 'Peck & Peck". I found the pacing in some parts to be a tad slow and the chapters where the mother is talking to a young Batter about the exploits of her dog annoying. You will find that these chapters are important when you reach the last quarter of the book, however I found that they interrupted the narrative. Batter is not always a likeable character - which is not a criticism. He is human and is prone to making poor decisions. This I think will make readers root for him more. The cast of characters are bright and quirky. I learnt a lot about the process of writing poetry reading this book. A lot more than I ever needed to know. I hope fans of Bonnie Garmus will read this novel with an open mind and not try to compare it to 'A Lesson in Chemistry'. For readers who haven't read 'A Lesson in Chemistry' I strongly urge you to do so."

— Rebecca C. (4/5)