True Story: A Novel by Kate Reed Petty (English) Paperback Book

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"A gripping, ripped-from-headlines tale." —People "Spellbinding." —Megan Abbott, The New York Times Book Review Tracing the fifteen-year fallout of a toxic high school rumor, a riveting, astonishingly original debut novel about the power of stories—and who gets to tell them2015. A gifted and reclusive ghostwriter, Alice Lovett makes a living helping other people tell their stories. But she is haunted by the one story she can't tell: the story of, as she puts it, "the things that happened while I was asleep."1999. Nick Brothers and his lacrosse teammates return for their senior year at their wealthy Maryland high school as the reigning state champions. They're on top of the world—until two of his friends drive a passed-out girl home from of the team's "legendary" parties, and a rumor about what happened in the backseat spreads through the town like wildfire. The boys deny the allegations, and, eventually, the town moves on. But not everyone can. Nick descends into alcoholism, and Alice builds a life in fits and starts, underestimating herself and placing her trust in the wrong people. When she finally gets the opportunity to confront the past she can't remember—but which has nevertheless shaped her life—will she take it?An inventive and breathtaking exploration of a woman finding her voice in the wake of trauma, True Story is part psychological thriller, part fever dream, and part timely comment on sexual assault, power, and the very nature of truth. Ingeniously constructed and full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing until the final pages, it marks the debut of a singular and daring new voice in fiction.

FORMATPaperback LANGUAGEEnglish CONDITIONBrand New Author Biography

Kate Reed Petty has been recognized with a Narrative magazine 30 Below Award, as well as grants and scholarships from the Robert Deutsch Foundation, The Mount, Bloedel Reserve, and the Sewanee Writers Conference. Her short fiction has been published in Electric Literature, American Short Fiction, Blackbird, Ambit, Nat. Brut, and Los Angeles Review of Books, and she has a master of letters from the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She lives in Baltimore.

Review

Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize "Spellbinding . . . Petty leaps from genre to genre with dizzying velocity. . . to show the way trauma works on us, how it shapes our lived experience. . . tantalizing us with the 'truth' about what really happened to Alice. . . even as the term itself feels increasingly useless, deceptive." —Megan Abbott, The New York Times Book Review (Editors' Choice)"Unfolds like a mystery, flitting between genres to weave an inventive tale . . . that keeps you hooked until the very end." —BuzzFeed"Extraordinary . . . Fans of the formal inventiveness and twisty-turny narratives of Trust Exercise and A Visit From the Goon Squad will be immediately engrossed." —Elle, "The Best Books of 2020 (So Far)" "True Story [was] able to remind me of the pleasure of reading when I was certain I had lost it forever . . . [It's] that surprisingly hard-to-find gem, [one of those] books I will stay up all night for, books that will make me forget where I am, and yet the sentences are also nice, and the mind behind them very sharp." —Nadja Spiegelman, The Paris Review, "Favorite Books of 2020" "[W]ith every page, True Story gets . . . more inventive, with slow and fast twists that challenge conventional notions of power, sexual assault, and our understanding of truth." —Goop"[Petty writes] with great skill and intelligence . . . I love a sense of earned bamboozlement." —Molly Young, Vulture "An impressive literary crime novel along the lines of Megan Abbott and Laura Lippman with great pacing and formal experimentation . . . A dazzling puzzle." —CrimeReads"[I] found a lot of comfort in the recognition (and awe!) I felt while reading True Story." —Tavi Gevinson, The Huffington Post "Part thriller, part social commentary . . . a masterclass in creative form . . . [True Story] underscores the way trauma reverberates through decades." —Good Housekeeping"Among the best [books] I've read this year. It's an exhilarating read…and the twist at the end all but requires you to go back to page one." —Perrie Samotin, Glamour"Blurring genres and subverting structure, Petty examines the ways narratives are woven and take root while trying to untangle the truth." —The Millions"Extend[s] the legacy of Speak." —Bitch"A powerful and thought-provoking examination of how the manipulation of stories can shape whole lives." —The Guardian"Electrifying . . . [Petty] melds genres, narrators and narrative style with such ease and confidence, you'd swear she'd been at it for years . . . Each section is a vignette on its own right—but together they form a sly commentary on the nature of trauma and the question of agency when telling a story. Like any good horror romp, this one has a delicious twist . . . Ultimately, however, the true terrors come from within—our own demons, our own memories, our own dissonance between fiction and reality." —PureWow"[S]imultaneously scratched all my favorite itches: thrillers, movie nerddom, and literary fiction, and done so innovatively and ambitiously but also never stopped being a page turner." —Brightest Young Things"[An] innovative, genre-busting debut . . . Readers will be unable to put it down." —Booklist (Starred Review)"Fast-paced, gripping, and unforgettable." —Debutiful"Captivating . . . Petty's page-turner is as sly and devastating as the nature of truth." —Publishers Weekly"A genre-skipping, shape-shifting drama . . . the year's most unheralded gem." —NJ.com"I literally cannot believe this book exists. A mind-blowing, page-turning, un-put-downable, heartwarming, empathetic, formally inventive horror suspense thriller, with a life-affirming and timely feminist message? What? This would be an amazing fifteenth novel for a person to have written and it is Kate Reed Petty's first one. What an incredible talent!" —Elif Batuman, author of The Idiot"Kate Reed Petty is such a gifted writer that she can make even a college application essay feel utterly heartbreaking. And in True Story, she has given us a riveting and totally innovative novel about the power of lies to shape the truth, a book built like an elaborate jigsaw puzzle whose picture becomes thrillingly clear only after you've locked in the very last piece." —Nathan Hill, author of The Nix"Brilliant—a darkly gripping enigma of a book. Petty boldly plays with genre and voice to tell the story of an assault and a rumor that shapes the trajectory of a woman's life. The result is a beautifully prismatic and profound meditation on victims and perpetrators, lies and truth, and above all the dangers and powers of storytelling and what it means to finally claim your voice." —Mona Awad, author of Bunny"True Story is a spectacular first novel—innovative, convincing, daring, suspenseful, heart-wrenching, and altogether astonishing. Kate Reed Petty is a force. What a beautifully unified, richly imagined, and skillfully composed work of literary art. I hope it wins the prizes Petty deserves." —Tim O'Brien, author of The Things They Carried"True Story is a brilliant achievement—original, powerful, and playful, flipping formats like a kaleidoscope whose fractals rearrange with each twist until the truth comes into final focus. But beyond its formal daring and assurance, it's a thoroughly engrossing read. I may have held my breath through the whole thing, and I will think about it for a long time. This is a shapeshifting, sneak attack of a novel that leaves a permanent imprint." —Lauren Acampora, author of The Paper Wasp"I loved it. Such a smart, powerful, ambitious book, very high concept and so effectively realised. Definitely one to look out for this summer." —Daisy Buchanan, author of How to Be a Grown-Up, via Twitter

Review Quote

Praise for True Story : Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize "Spellbinding . . . Petty leaps from genre to genre with dizzying velocity. . . to show the way trauma works on us, how it shapes our lived experience. . . tantalizing us with the ''truth'' about what really happened to Alice. . . even as the term itself feels increasingly useless, deceptive." --Megan Abbott, The New York Times Book Review " True Story [was] able to remind me of the pleasure of reading when I was certain I had lost it forever . . . [It''s] that surprisingly hard-to-find gem, [one of those] books I will stay up all night for, books that will make me forget where I am, and yet the sentences are also nice, and the mind behind them very sharp." --Nadja Spiegelman, The Paris Review , "Favorite Books of 2020" "Anyone who liked the formal invention of A Visit from the Goon Squad or Trust Exercise is gonna love this book." --R. Eric Thomas, The TODAY Show "A gripping, ripped-from-headlines tale." -- People "Unfolds like a mystery, flitting between genres to weave an inventive tale . . . that keeps you hooked until the very end." -- BuzzFeed "[W]ith every page, True Story gets . . . more inventive, with slow and fast twists that challenge conventional notions of power, sexual assault, and our understanding of truth." -- Goop "[Petty writes] with great skill and intelligence . . . I love a sense of earned bamboozlement." --Molly Young, Vulture "An impressive literary crime novel along the lines of Megan Abbott and Laura Lippman with great pacing and formal experimentation . . . A dazzling puzzle." -- CrimeReads "[I] found a lot of comfort in the recognition (and awe!) I felt while reading True Story ." --Tavi Gevinson, The Huffington Post "Part thriller, part social commentary . . . a masterclass in creative form . . . [ True Story ] underscores the way trauma reverberates through decades." -- Good Housekeeping "Among the best [books] I''ve read this year. It''s an exhilarating read...and the twist at the end all but requires you to go back to page one." --Perrie Samotin, Glamour "Blurring genres and subverting structure, Petty examines the ways narratives are woven and take root while trying to untangle the truth." -- The Millions "Extend[s] the legacy of Speak ." -- Bitch "A powerful and thought-provoking examination of how the manipulation of stories can shape whole lives." -- The Guardian "Electrifying . . . [Petty] melds genres, narrators and narrative style with such ease and confidence, you''d swear she''d been at it for years . . . Each section is a vignette on its own right--but together they form a sly commentary on the nature of trauma and the question of agency when telling a story. Like any good horror romp, this one has a delicious twist . . . Ultimately, however, the true terrors come from within--our own demons, our own memories, our own dissonance between fiction and reality." -- PureWow "[S]imultaneously scratched all my favorite itches: thrillers, movie nerddom, and literary fiction, and done so innovatively and ambitiously but also never stopped being a page turner." -- Brightest Young Things "[An] innovative, genre-busting debut . . . Readers will be unable to put it down." -- Booklist (Starred Review) "Fast-paced, gripping, and unforgettable." -- Debutiful "Captivating . . . Petty''s page-turner is as sly and devastating as the nature of truth." -- Publishers Weekly "A genre-skipping, shape-shifting drama . . . the year''s most unheralded gem." --NJ.com "I literally cannot believe this book exists. A mind-blowing, page-turning, un-put-downable, heartwarming, empathetic, formally inventive horror suspense thriller, with a life-affirming and timely feminist message? What? This would be an amazing fifteenth novel for a person to have written and it is Kate Reed Petty''s first one. What an incredible talent!" --Elif Batuman, author of The Idiot "Kate Reed Petty is such a gifted writer that she can make even a college application essay feel utterly heartbreaking. And in True Story , she has given us a riveting and totally innovative novel about the power of lies to shape the truth, a book built like an elaborate jigsaw puzzle whose picture becomes thrillingly clear only after you''ve locked in the very last piece." --Nathan Hill, author of The Nix "Brilliant--a darkly gripping enigma of a book. Petty boldly plays with genre and voice to tell the story of an assault and a rumor that shapes the trajectory of a woman''s life. The result is a beautifully prismatic and profound meditation on victims and perpetrators, lies and truth, and above all the dangers and powers of storytelling and what it means to finally claim your voice." --Mona Awad, author of Bunny " True Story is a spectacular first novel--innovative, convincing, daring, suspenseful, heart-wrenching, and altogether astonishing. Kate Reed Petty is a force. What a beautifully unified, richly imagined, and skillfully composed work of literary art. I hope it wins the prizes Petty deserves." --Tim O''Brien, author of The Things They Carried " True Story is a brilliant achievement--original, powerful, and playful, flipping formats like a kaleidoscope whose fractals rearrange with each twist until the truth comes into final focus. But beyond its formal daring and assurance, it''s a thoroughly engrossing read. I may have held my breath through the whole thing, and I will think about it for a long time. This is a shapeshifting, sneak attack of a novel that leaves a permanent imprint." --Lauren Acampora, author of The Paper Wasp "I loved it. Such a smart, powerful, ambitious book, very high concept and so effectively realised. Definitely one to look out for this summer." --Daisy Buchanan, author of How to Be a Grown-Up , via Twitter

Excerpt from Book

When you last came to ask for this story, I''d already been hiding out in Barcelona for years. I live in an airy studio on the top floor of a five-story building, with tile floors and a big sliding glass door that opens onto a patio; the patio is lined with terra-cotta pots too heavy to move, left by the previous tenants and overflowing with succulents. The apartment is inexpensive and private; the neighbors keep to themselves, and the landlord likes her checks in the mail. It took a little while, but now I feel safe enough here that on hot nights I don''t close the patio door, leaving my bedroom open to the breeze whispering up from the city streets and to the phantom intruders that used to haunt my dreams. I love this apartment the way astronauts love their ships. My only complaint is the display in the window of the pharmacy downstairs, which I pass every day on my morning run. It features three female mannequins with rounded onyx surfaces where their faces should be, their arms and legs cut off at the biceps and thighs. They''ve been arranged in come-hither poses, hips torqued out as though they were modeling bikinis-but instead, they model first-aid equipment. The one closest to my apartment door has a black lumbar support belt strapped around her waist like a corset and a blue sling for a broken arm draped around her neck. Perched in a wheelchair to her left, another has a knee brace attached at the thigh. The third leans stiffly against the far wall, a sleep mask covering the place where her eyes should be. For months and months now, this display hasn''t changed. Try as I might to look away, I can''t help glancing at it as I pass, the way a woman in a horror movie can''t resist going upstairs. Don''t take this the wrong way, but whenever I look at the mannequins I think of you. My oldest friend, you have always stood by me in the face of casual misogyny and bad taste. When you came to Barcelona, I really did intend to meet you at your hotel, as I

Details ISBN1984877704 Author Kate Reed Petty Short Title True Story Pages 336 Language English Year 2021 ISBN-10 1984877704 ISBN-13 9781984877703 Format Paperback Publication Date 2021-08-03 Subtitle A Novel Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 2021-08-03 NZ Release Date 2021-08-03 US Release Date 2021-08-03 UK Release Date 2021-08-03 Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc Imprint Penguin USA DEWEY 813.6 Audience General We've got this

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