States of Emergency
by Chris Knapp
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Pub Date 17 Sep 2024 | Archive Date 16 Sep 2024
Unnamed Press | The Unnamed Press
Description
**UNCORRECTED PROOF**
“That was the lesson: that what so often passed for love was mostly a desperate construct of your own vanity, a steamroller with which the self pressed the other flat until a smooth, reflective surface was all that remained…”
In the summer of 2015, a young couple—an American and his French wife—undergo fertility treatment in Paris. They settle in to wait for the results as a heatwave paralyzes the city.
As the heat rises, a state of emergency is declared and tempers flare, leaving cracks in the foundation of their marriage. In the months that follow, they find themselves navigating a confluence of world crises and historical forces that affect each in ways the other struggles to understand.
Against this backdrop of existential dread, the fissures in their marriage widen as they confront their everyday apocalypse. An ongoing conversation begins: one that moves backward and forward in time, swings between hope and despair, dry laughter and hard fury, all in an effort toward reconciliation. How will their conflicting ideas about how to build a life together—how to love each other—survive in the face of a future that’s collapsing before their eyes?
Advance Praise
"I wondered as I read: how did Chris Knapp manage to write such seamless surges of past and present; the sense of history crashing down on everyday life; such sadness and startling humor? Despite my futile hope that I could continue reading States of Emergency for a long while yet, I’ve finished it all too quickly: and I realize there is no trick to this novel’s genius, only great depth. This is an incredible work." —Ayşegül Savaş, author of The Anthropologist
"Chris Knapp's debut novel is a beautiful, unbelievably tender exploration of marriage, race, history, and reproduction. In searching, perfectly calibrated prose, Knapp creates a vivid portrait of the broken world we inhabit and the love and care required to survive in it. I've been waiting for this book for a long time, and it shattered my highest expectations. This is a great book." —Andrew Martin, author of Early Work
Available Editions
| EDITION | Other Format |
| ISBN | 9781961884045 |
| PRICE | US$28.00 (USD) |
| PAGES | 300 |
Available on NetGalley
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