A Theory of Small Earthquakes - Paperback

by Meredith Maran (Author)

"A family's world is irrevocably rocked when an old female lover from Mom's past reappears" in this "sexy, audacious, politically charged" novel (Vanity Fair).

Eager to escape her damaging past, Alison Rose is drawn to Zoe, a free-spirited artist who offers emotional stability and a love outside the norm. They spend a number of happy years together--until the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake deepens fissures in their relationship, and Alison leaves Zoe for a "normal" life with a man.

But Alison's son is born in the midst of these complications and shifting emotional bonds, and ultimately the three adults must strive to create a life together that will test the boundaries and balance the needs of all. A story spanning two decades, set against the social, political, and geological upheavals of the Bay Area, A Theory of Small Earthquakes "explores the vagaries of love and the true nature of family" (People).

"[An] inventive, addictive novel [that] teaches us something new about love and sex, jealousy and loyalty, and also, and perhaps most importantly, motherhood." --Ayelet Waldman, author of Bad Mother and Red Hook Road

"Call it "Two Women, One Man and a Baby." Maran's take on the modern family is at once unexpected and totally relatable." --MORE

Author Biography

Like a lot of women her age, Meredith Maran has a hard time believing she's a woman of her age. And yet she's published more than a dozen books, including The New Old Me, Why We Write About Ourselves, Why We Write, My Lie, and A Theory of Small Earthquakes. When she's not hiking Mount Hollywood, attending readings at indie bookstores, or scouring Los Angeles' finest thrift shops, she's writing for venues including The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Christian Science Monitor, The Los Angeles Review of Books, The Rumpus, and Salon. The grateful recipient of fellowships from MacDowell and Yaddo and a member of the National Book Critics Circle, Meredith lives in a Silver Lake bungalow that's even older than she is.