Arts & Entertainment

Meredith Maran: A Theory of Small Earthquakes

In her ten previous nonfiction books, Meredith Maran has trained her journalistic eye on the subtle dance between the political and the personal. Now Maran brings her provocative gaze to her debut novel. Ripped from the headlines of today’s battle over equal rights and the changing definition of family, A Theory of Small Earthquakes is a family story that spans two decades, set against the social, political and geological upheavals of the Bay Area. Alison Rose is powerfully drawn to Zoe, a free-spirited artist who offers emotional stability and a love outside the norm. After many happy years together, the Loma Prieta earthquake deepens fissures in the women’s relationship, and Alison leaves Zoe for a “normal” life with a man. Alison’s son is the outcome of both of these complicated relationships, and the three parents strive to create a life together that will test the boundaries of love and family in our changing times. Maran’s books include My Lie: A True Story of False Memory and Dirty: A Search for Answers Inside America’s Teenage Drug Epidemic.


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