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Published Jan 2015
288 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
In December 1992, three groups of teenagers head to the theater to see the movie version of the famed Eons & Empires comic books. For Adam it's a last ditch effort to connect with something (actually, someone, the girl he's had a crush on for years) in his sleepy Florida town before he leaves for good. Passionate fan Sharon skips school in Cincinnati so she can fully appreciate the flick without interruption from her vapid almost-friends—a seemingly silly indiscretion with shocking consequences. And in suburban Chicago, Phoebe and Ollie simply want to have a nice first date and maybe fool around in the dark, if everyone they know could just stop getting in the way.
Over the next two decades, these unforgettable characters criss-cross the globe, becoming entwined by friendship, sex, ambition, fame and tragedy. A razor-sharp, darkly comic page-turner, In Some Other World, Maybe sheds light on what it means to grow up in modern America.
"Each character's individual story is compelling, though their pursuit of meaning in their never-satisfied lives, while witty and heartfelt, never comes together." – Publishers Weekly
"Engaging story of four young people whose lives intersect at pivotal moments...A highly relatable cast is another hook as the four face down difficulties with humor and a good deal of heart." - Booklist
"Funny and honest and reflects well the oddities of modern America...An original novel about how to let go of adolescent fantasies and make it to adulthood." - Kirkus
"Engaging, entertaining, saucy, and poignant, this ingenious six-degrees-of-separation novel is one you'll be so happy you read. So much fun." – Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us and The Stormchasers
"[Her] characters are real and complex and subtly defined. How does Goldhagen juggle these many elements, while still managing to make the book as funny as she does? You'll just have to read it to find out. Because In Some Other World, Maybe is funny as hell—and deeply profound." –Nic Sheff, New York Times bestselling author of Tweak and We All Fall Down
"Makes the glamorous seem strikingly familiar and the mundane sparkle with new possibility. Goldhagen spins a lyrical saga that finds an unusual balance between hip and wise, with unforgettable and utterly human characters at its heart. I will not soon shake this book." - Jillian Lauren, New York Times bestselling author of Some Girls and Pretty
"This is a wonderfully rich story of what might be and what might have been... This book will entertain you, perhaps even titillate you, but above all it will touch your heart." - Lee Martin, author of The Bright Forever and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize
This information about In Some Other World, Maybe was first featured
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
© Paul Sarkis
After serious pursuits of literature at Northwestern (BSJ) and Ohio State (MFA), Shari Goldhagen discovered she had a knack for sifting through celebrity trash and worked as a gossip writer for publications including The National Enquirer, Us Weekly, and Life & Style Weekly. Her articles on pop culture, travel and relationships have appeared everywhere from Cosmopolitan to Penthouse. She has received fellowships from Yaddo and MacDowell and currently lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.
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Few writers paint three-dimensional characters with such verve and humanism.
―Booklist (starred review)
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