Real Life and Other Fictions, Susan Coll
Real Life and Other Fictions, Susan Coll
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Real Life and Other Fictions
A Novel

Author: Susan Coll

Narrator: Jane Oppenheimer

Unabridged: 10 hr 7 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Harper Muse

Published: 05/21/2024

Synopsis

***"If you're fascinated by unexplained phenomena, hop in a beat-up Audi with the kooky and supersmart Cassie Klein and her dog Luna for a voyage of discovery involving a giant moth, a West Virginia bridge collapse and a hot cryptozoologist. The droll Ms. Coll strikes again!"--People Magazine***Cassie Klein has always used stories to help her fly, but now her plot points aren't lining up.In her 50s, Cassie has already weathered more than most. She was orphaned at the age of two and has never fully understood why her DC-based parents were on a bridge in West Virginia that just so happened to collapse as they drove across it. Her search for answers prompted a failed career in journalism, and now she's an aspiring novelist teaching at a local community college waiting for her literary dreams to finally come true. She stood by her once-doting husband when his meteorology career took a nosedive, and now she has learned that the man who became an internet meme has been cheating on her.She's had enough. She scoops up a teething puppy and embarks on a road trip that's heavy on impulse and light on planning. She's not sure where she's going, but she knows she might as well start at the beginning. What really happened to her parents all those years ago?In this comically surreal, warmhearted journey, she encounters people she never knew existed--chief among them, an enigmatic cryptozoologist, who helps her in the quest to discover her past. And along the way, she looks for answers regarding curious sightings of a creature known as the Mothman in the months before her parents died. As the line between real life and fiction blurs, Cassie finds herself grappling with the nature of stories, myths, and who gets to write the endings.

About Susan Coll

USA Today and Washington Post bestselling writer Susan Coll is the author of eight previous novels, including The Literati, Real Life & Other Fictions, and Bookish People. Her other books include The Stager, Acceptance, Rockville Pike, and Karlmarx.com. Her work has appeared in The Washington Post, The New York Times, NPR.org, The Atlantic.com, The Millions, and other publications. Her novel, Acceptance, was made into a television movie starring Joan Cusack. Susan is the recipient of multiple grants from the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. She works as an event consultant at Politics and Prose Bookstore and was the president of the PEN/Faulkner Foundation for five years. Coll teaches workshops at The Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jillian on July 26, 2024

In 1966, people in the Point Pleasant area of West Virginia began to report sightings of a giant, human-like moth. The following year, a bridge connecting the community to Ohio collapsed and dozens of people were killed. Some people speculated that the sightings and the accident were connected. Cassi......more

Goodreads review by Shannon on May 06, 2024

This one definitely wasn't for me AT ALL. I wasn't a huge fan of the author's last book but the cover and description for this one had me intrigued. Unfortunately I ended up wishing I DNF'd when I first had the inclination early on. I found this one quite boring, and a little all over the place and......more

Goodreads review by Amy on May 29, 2024

Thank you to the publisher, author Susan Coll, and NetGalley for allowing me to read Real Life and Other Fictions by Susan Coll in exchange for my honest review. I selected this novel based on the colorful cover and synopsis. In my opinion, the happy cover and smiling dog do not match the melancholy......more

Goodreads review by Sara Ellis on March 22, 2024

I loved this book. I loved how original and quirky it was. The characters are so well developed and easy to relate to. They are also a little quirky. At first I was like what is this book but it quickly became endearing. I loved it so much I didn’t want it to end. Cassie is in her 50s. Her only daug......more

Goodreads review by LaceyBanana on May 14, 2024

3.75. Real Life and Other Fictions is such an interesting literary fiction book with a bit of mystery and romance mixed in to a unique story! Cassie is in her 50s and newly divorced from her peculiar husband. She’s setting out on a road trip with her dog to find answers. Cassie was orphaned at the a......more

Quotes

'[REAL LIFE AND OTHER FICTIONS] effortlessly mixes a journey around grief, reinvention and romance in midlife with the myth of a moth and the supernatural . . . a big blend of genres that is not just effective but delightful.' The Washington Post

'A crumbling marriage, stalled writing ambitions, and a lifetime of questions suppressed by her family about the tragedy that shaped her childhood lead Cassie on an impromptu journey to solve the mystery that has always plagued her regarding her unusual past. With an unruly puppy as her travel companion, bad weather, broken eyeglasses, and spotty GPS coverage, Cassie has no choice but to let instinct guide her on this chaotic, quirky, and heartwarming quest. REAL LIFE AND OTHER FICTIONS is that rare jewel of a story: one that both entertains and enlightens, one that makes pandemonium profound. Susan Coll is a literary alchemist--a writer who combines comedy and calamity and turns it into storytelling gold.' Lynda Cohen Loigman, bestselling author of THE MATCHMAKER'S GIFT

'A heart-forward and perfectly comic starting-over novel, REAL LIFE AND OTHER FICTIONS shows that when you stop searching so hard for certain answers to explain your life, different questions can emerge that reveal the past, present, and future in new and slightly surreal ways. Susan Coll's Cassie is almost every dog-loving woman of a certain age: deeply annoyed, intensely curious, slightly impulsive, and forever hopeful. What an absolute delight.' Laura Zigman, author of SEPARATION ANXIETY and SMALL WORLD

'Coll's deadpan narrative voice, once it hits you, is like when a stand-up comic finds your funny bone and you just can't stop laughing. And yet the laughter never fails to somehow encompass the obduracy of loss and other woes of this mortal coil. A kooky treasure, rooted in the deeply literary, slightly askew interior world that makes this author's work so fine.' Kirkus

'Don't be fooled by Susan Coll's delightful new novel. You may think you're reading a snappy rom com with a wacky heroine and an adorable puppy stranded in a town depicted with Nabokovian humor, but REAL LIFE AND OTHER FICTIONS slyly leads us to ponder essential questions: How do we make sense of the inexplicable? What damage is wrought by silence? Can we change our lives?' Lisa Gornick, author of ANA TURNS

'If you're fascinated by unexplained phenomena, hop in a beat-up Audi with the kooky and supersmart Cassie Klein and her dog Luna for a voyage of discovery involving a giant moth, a West Virginia bridge collapse and a hot cryptozoologist. The droll Ms. Coll strikes again!' People Magazine

'Susan Coll is a master of comic fiction, delivering the perfect balance of humor and heart in this deliciously funny book about grief, secrets, and the stories we tell each other and ourselves to survive. REAL LIFE AND OTHER FICTIONS is the charming, warmhearted novel you're looking for!' Jennifer Close, author of MARRYING THE KETCHUPS and GIRLS IN WHITE DRESSES

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