Publishers Weekly
09/02/2019
Ossowski (Left) considers how a person’s destiny is shaped by their decisions in this muddled time-jumping thriller. Salmon, who goes by Sam, is caught in two versions of reality: one in which she follows her mother’s plan for her to go to college and become a lawyer, and another in which she follows her heart to be with the man she loves. The story opens with Sam squatting near a lake, near a man she doesn’t recognize but who feels very familiar. After running away, her world goes dark, and suddenly she is back in her normal life with roommate Susan, planning their imminent move to New York City. As Sam packs up her things, she begins to recollect more memories, and she comes to the realization that Sol—the man from what she thought was a dream—does exist, and that she also recalls many intimate details about him. As Sam tries to make sense of both realities, she realizes she must choose a path. Unfortunately, the plot is weak from the start, never explaining the mechanism or point behind the fracturing of Sam’s reality. Sam’s voice is also stunted by her flat, emotionless response to what is happening to her, leaving the reader at a distance. A redemptive ending and many twists fail to save this frustratingly opaque story. (Sept.)
From the Publisher
Ossowski’s smart, time-twisting novel is a gorgeous exploration of whom we love and why, and how the past sometimes—extraordinarily—can bleed into the present. A gorgeously written page turner.” —Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author of Pictures of You and Cruel Beautiful World
“Stellar. A complex and compulsive read. A beautifully written reflection on dreams vs. reality, self-determination and the people we're born to be.” —Christopher Meades, award-winning author of Hanna Who Fell from the Sky
"With the deftness of a magician, Tamar Ossowski masterfully whisks us into a world where the lines between dreaming and waking, between one life and another, dissolve. In this space of no-time, stories become palimpsests through which the truth blazes like a guide-star in a dark sky. Riveting and richly textured, Fractured bravely tackles themes of love, destiny, and freedom with a freshness and honesty that makes it impossible to put down." —Rita Zoey Chin, critically acclaimed author of Let the Tornado Come
"This book opens with a series of vague images: a woman signing a divorce decree, then standing at a lake with a familiar and devastating man; then, her memories disintegrate. Sam Baird is private, lonely, suffocated by her prickly mother and semi-absent father—and apparently, she’s also going to law school. Sam hurries to do what she must while also wondering why her brain is so broken. Yet she doesn’t pursue medical advice, finding that anytime she works on her art, she is able to access those buried recollections. Sam feels her way through her past, mostly fixating on Sol, a man she’d been obsessed with. As her present begins to collide with her new revelations, she must figure out how to integrate the two while coping with fresh trauma. While it might take the reader some time to become acclimated to this format, the writing is superb, and Sam is a sympathetic character dealing with some particularly difficult hardships. An esoteric, dreamy novel with a handful of twists, plus a side of gloomy tension." —Booklist
Praise for Left
“A haunting, sometimes harrowing portrait of the ways that love can go wrong—and how we can right it. . . . Trust me, you’ve never read anything like this—like a shadow, it will stick with you.” —Caroline Leavitt, author of the New York Times bestseller Pictures of You
"The vivid voices, deft plotting and, most of all, utterly original characters Tamar Ossowski has created in Left make it an unforgettable read. This is a book of unusual, even magical, compassion and heart." —Holly LeCraw, author of The Swimming Pool
“Left is a delight. The story is told with elegance and warmth. Nothing is predictable, and yet in the end, it all makes perfect sense. But it is Ossowski's main characters, Franny and Matilda, that caught me with their fascinating, believable voices, and their endearing, very human flaws. Scrumptious, from beginning to end!" —Susan Senator, author of Dirt and Making Peace with Autism
“A brave and breathtaking new voice tells of love, loss, and the ties that connect us. Unforgettable characters and a story that unfolds tantalizingly make Tamar Ossowski's debut novel hard to put down and impossible to forget.” —Toby Devens, author of Happy Any Day Now
Praise for Left
“A haunting, sometimes harrowing portrait of the ways that love can go wrong—and how we can right it. . . . Trust me, you’ve never read anything like this—like a shadow, it will stick with you.” —Caroline Leavitt, author of the New York Times bestseller Pictures of You
"The vivid voices, deft plotting and, most of all, utterly original characters Tamar Ossowski has created in Left make it an unforgettable read. This is a book of unusual, even magical, compassion and heart." —Holly LeCraw, author of The Swimming Pool
“Left is a delight. The story is told with elegance and warmth. Nothing is predictable, and yet in the end, it all makes perfect sense. But it is Ossowski's main characters, Franny and Matilda, that caught me with their fascinating, believable voices, and their endearing, very human flaws. Scrumptious, from beginning to end!" —Susan Senator, author of Dirt and Making Peace with Autism
“A brave and breathtaking new voice tells of love, loss, and the ties that connect us. Unforgettable characters and a story that unfolds tantalizingly make Tamar Ossowski's debut novel hard to put down and impossible to forget.” —Toby Devens, author of Happy Any Day Now
