Our Tragic Universe

If Kelsey Newman’s theory about the end of the time is true, we are all going to live forever. But for Meg—locked in a dead-end relationship and with a deadline looming for a book that she can’t write—this thought fills her with dread. Stuck in a labyrinth of her own devising, Meg knows that there must be a way out. And a wild beast living on the Devonshire moors, a ship in a bottle, the science of time and a knitting pattern for the shape of the universe all have a crucial part to play in Meg’s release.

Smart, entrancing and buzzing with big ideas, Our Tragic Universe is a book about how relationships are created and destroyed, and how a story might just save your life.

Praise for Our Tragic Universe:

Thomas’ Meg Carpenter is an everywoman for Generation X — a reminder that life is supposed to be about “experiences”, not just “existing”. This is one of those novels that publishers dream of — smart and savvy, well-paced and accessible, and, most importantly, memorable reading at its best.

New Zealand Herald

Our Tragic Universe surprised me with where it goes, and in such a terrific way. Scarlett Thomas’s prose is so addictive, you can’t help but fall deeper and deeper under her spell. How does she do it? She is a genius.

Doug Coupland

A delight, not least for the quality of Scarlett Thomas’s writing, which is full of a very enjoyable life and energy.

Philip Pullman

Thomas can cite pop culture as ingeniously as she can Einstein.

Financial Times