Dept. of speculation, by Jenny Offill

Less than 200 pages long, and consisting of seeming unrelated paragraphs separated by white space between them, this quietly affecting book tells the story of a marriage from the perspective of the narrator known only as “the wife.”  In this compact and intimate space, the novel is very successful.  The reader comes to know the protagonists very well and roots for the success of this imperfect union.  179 pp.