Peck & Peck: A Novel
Peck & Peck: A Novel
by Bonnie Garmus
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About the Book
A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A BEST BOOK OF THE FALL FOR OPRAH DAILY, TIME, AND NEW YORK POST
A MOST ANTICIPATED BOOK FOR CBS, THE NEW YORK TIMES, THE BOSTON GLOBE, COUNTRY LIVING, LITHUB, BOOKPAGE, AND MORE! The #1 New York Times bestselling author of global sensation Lessons in Chemistry returns with an irresistible, delightful, and tender literary novel set in the publishing world of 1980s New York City about a young man whose life turns upside down when he is hired by the most prestigious, secretive, and dysfunctional poetry journal in the world: the renowned Peck & Peck.
Find originality. Reward creativity. Burn the rest.
It’s 1982, New York City. Crime is on the rise, muggings are in the streets, and Batter Gray, recent college graduate with a skill that no one wants—an “ear” for poetry—is worried about his future. While all of his friends have real jobs, he’s folding T-shirts at the Gap. As for love? No. Not unless you count Sallie Mae, the student loan tyrant. He hears from Sallie all the time.
But when Batter gets a dream job at Peck & Peck, the most prestigious poetry quarterly in the world, his life moves into the literary fast lane. Soon Batter is knee-deep in the secret war between the two Editors in Chief, the famous Peck brothers—twins and enemies—as well as being privy to the private affairs of their thirty-nine editors, whose professed mission is the same: Find originality. Reward creativity. Burn the rest.
And by burn, they mean incinerate. Because at Peck & Peck, “good” isn’t good enough, “interesting” doesn’t cut it, plagiarists aren’t tolerated, and parolees run the mailroom. Still want to submit your poem? Go with God.
Welcome to another dazzling and unforgettable novel from Bonnie Garmus. If you loved Lessons in Chemistry, you will love Peck & Peck.
About the Author
Bonnie Garmus is a coffee-dependent American novelist. Her debut novel, Lessons in Chemistry, was a Good Morning America Book Club Pick, a Goodreads Choice Best Book of the Year, spent nearly two years on the New York Times bestseller list and was named by Times readers as one of the top 100 books of the 21st century. Translated into over forty languages, Lessons in Chemistry was honored with sixteen international literary awards and made into an Apple TV limited series. Peck & Peck is her second novel.
Editorial Reviews
"Part caper, part time capsule... Bonnie Garmus poses hard questions about the high stakes of culture and ambition, who has real talent and who sorely lacks it." —TIME
"The extravagantly twisty plot here isn’t the draw. Rather it’s in the roster of offbeat characters—among them, an action-film star who has surprising literary talent; Batter’s loving, endlessly optimistic mother, a typeface designer; and Batter himself… an affecting ode to poetry.” —The Wall Street Journal
“After Lessons in Chemistry became one of the most successful debuts in recent memory, Garmus introduces another irresistible oddball protagonist. Batter Gray—named after a heroic family dog, raised by a type designer mother, reading Auden in fourth grade—lands a job at Peck & Peck, an illustrious New York literary journal, where he is immediately disliked by everyone who matters, none of whom can ever say his name right. This is a love story, a workplace romp, a satire with a soft heart for fonts, and an ode to poetry and the people who can't live without it.” —Oprah Daily, "Best Books of Fall 2026"
"Peck & Peck is stuffed to the brim with plot and characters too numerous to mention here, which snap together delightfully. There are unexpected surprises and sweet connections. This all makes for a rollicking good story. If [Lessons in Chemistry] made you love chemistry, this one might just make you fall for poetry. Such is the force of happiness." —Carolyn Kellogg, The Boston Globe
"[A] joyous ode to finding one’s calling… a funny, tender tale.” —Library Journal (starred)
“Some fans may fear that Garmus can't create another story as tender, captivating, or triumphant as her 2022 hit, Lessons in Chemistry. But good news—she can, in a book both poignant and heartwarming. In this vividly drawn tale, readers will feel all the emotions Gray does and suffer through his confusion, desperation, and finally, his exhilaration, as he discovers and understands who he is. A stunning novel.” —Booklist (starred)
“Tender-hearted… [Garmus] packs the novel with the antic humor and colorful characterizations that drew readers to her debut. There’s much to cherish in this charming tale.” —Publishers Weekly
"Prepare to be charmed.” —Boston Globe
“A reflection on the intersections of art, originality, capital and culture. It is about how to decide when to use one’s voice, and about what stories we value. Plus, it’s a fun read, with surprising characters, swift action and lively, vivid descriptions of these most self-serious of people and their lofty, and possibly noble, pursuit of art." —Bookpage