What Happened to Sophie Wilder
I just finished a two-chapter excerpt of a debut novel by Christopher R. Beha,provided through Powells Books’ Indiespensible program. It’s due out in June from Tin House Books. The story revolves around Charlie Blakeman, who’s been living on the advance he received for his first novel, published to almost no readership. To his surprise one night, he returns to his home to find Sophie Wilder, his college love, at a party his landlord is having. Sophie and Charlie had met in a fiction workshop in college and Sophie had impressed him with her depth of knowledge of literature. Their relationship grew. Somewhat enigmatic, Sophie suddenly disappeared, got married, split up from her husband Tom, and now appears here without warning. And just as suddenly, Sophie disappears again.
The reader is then transported back in time when Sophie is still married to Tom, and she receives an emergency call from Tom’s father. Tom had never spoken to his father or about his father since Sophie knew Tom, and the sudden call to the apartment pulls Sophie in to the mystery, with her thinking “It would make a great story”. She begins to learn more about her father-in-law and his medical condition that will change everything, especially when Tom finds out his father and Sophie have met.
The story is well paced and the characters interesting. Two chapters are not enough for a proper review, but i found that i wanted to keep reading. Literary in nature, this novel looks to be a smart read for those with an appreciation for literature and for the tangles of the mysteries of relationships.
Christopher Beha is an associate editor at Harper’s Magazine. He has previously written a memoir, The Whole Five Feet. He contributes to the New York Times Book Review. He lives in New York.
I just finished a two-chapter excerpt of a debut novel by Christopher R. Beha,provided through Powells Books’ Indiespensible program. It’s due out in June from Tin House Books. The story revolves around Charlie Blakeman, who’s been living on the advance he received for his first novel, published to almost no readership. To his surprise one night, he returns to his home to find Sophie Wilder, his college love, at a party his landlord is having. Sophie and Charlie had met in a fiction workshop in college and Sophie had impressed him with her depth of knowledge of literature. Their relationship grew. Somewhat enigmatic, Sophie suddenly disappeared, got married, split up from her husband Tom, and now appears here without warning. And just as suddenly, Sophie disappears again.
The reader is then transported back in time when Sophie is still married to Tom, and she receives an emergency call from Tom’s father. Tom had never spoken to his father or about his father since Sophie knew Tom, and the sudden call to the apartment pulls Sophie in to the mystery, with her thinking “It would make a great story”. She begins to learn more about her father-in-law and his medical condition that will change everything, especially when Tom finds out his father and Sophie have met.
The story is well paced and the characters interesting. Two chapters are not enough for a proper review, but i found that i wanted to keep reading. Literary in nature, this novel looks to be a smart read for those with an appreciation for literature and for the tangles of the mysteries of relationships.
Christopher Beha is an associate editor at Harper’s Magazine. He has previously written a memoir, The Whole Five Feet. He contributes to the New York Times Book Review. He lives in New York.