First published 2023
Three intellectuals in New York City wake to another day in 1939. The world stands on the edge of global catastrophe, but their immediate concerns feel just as pressing. Over twenty-four hours, their conversations and thoughts reveal the peculiar intensity of intellectual life in a city that never stops moving. Each character wrestles with personal anxieties that mirror the larger uncertainties of their historical moment. The tight circles of New York's literary world provide both comfort and claustrophobia as these three people navigate their relationships and their place in a society they sense is crumbling. Bolton captures the nervous energy of a specific time and place while exploring how individuals cope when both personal and political foundations feel unstable. The novel examines how intellectual life continues even as the world prepares for upheaval.
Genres: literary-fiction, american-fiction, 20th-century, contemporary, academic
Vibes: intimate, suspenseful, thought-provoking
Tropes: character-driven, slice-of-life
Setting: New York City
Period: 1939
164 pages · Paperback · Modern Times Publishing