LoveReading Says
If books were friends (and more than a few are) then I feel as though I have met the most wonderfully quirky forever friend. Gravity is the Thing is a complete joy of a book, and one that refuses to be pigeonholed into a genre. Abi, a Sydney cafe owner, has been invited to attend a retreat to learn the truth about ‘The Guidebook’, chapters have been arriving since she was a teen, and have kept her company in the darkest of times. The book floats between 1990 and 2010, and as Abi opens up her life, she revisits, examines, and searches for answers. Jaclyn Moriarty writes with the most beautiful eloquence, sharp pointed observations sit alongside the tightest of warm hugs. I wanted to meander, to wander, to eke out my reading time, and yet hoover up the words and the feelings they created in one heady go. I contemplated loss and grief, I smiled, laughed, and believed… oh how I believed! Gravity is the Thing is different (in the best possible way), and I predict that this will be one of my favourite books of the year. So, as well as being one of our Books of the Month, it has also been chosen as a LoveReading Star Book. It really is that gorgeous!
Explore our '80+ Books That Deliver a Hug' listicle for more feel-good or uplifting books.
Liz Robinson
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Gravity Is the Thing Synopsis
Twenty years ago, Abigail Sorenson's brother Robert went missing one day before her sixteenth birthday, never to be seen again. That same year, she began receiving scattered chapters in the mail from a mysterious guidebook, whose anonymous authors promised to make her life soar to heights beyond her wildest dreams.
These missives have remained a constant in Abi's life - a befuddling yet oddly comforting voice through her family's grief over her brother's disappearance, a move across continents, the devastating dissolution of her marriage, and the new beginning as a single mother and cafe owner in Sydney.
Now, two decades after receiving those first pages, Abi is invited to learn 'the truth' about the book. It's an opportunity too intriguing to refuse - she believes its absurdity and her brother's disappearance must be connected. What follows is an entirely unexpected journey of discovery that will change Abi's life - and enchant readers.
Gravity Is the Thing is a smart, unusual, wickedly funny novel - heart-warming and life-affirming.
About This Edition
Jaclyn Moriarty Press Reviews
GRAVITY IS THE THING is a beautiful, lyrical curiosity of a book. It's about loss and hope, but it's deliciously funny, too, and the writing is so fantastic I found myself reading passages out loud just to savour them. -- Beth O'Leary Bestselling young adult novelist Jaclyn Moriarty brings her unfettered imagination and a buoyant sense of humor to Gravity Is the Thing. She explores difficult subjects, such as the loss of a sibling, with a light touch. As Abi accepts an invitation to re-examine her life, readers may laugh, cry and even reflect on their own paths of discovery. - BookPage - starred review
At its heart, Moriarty's complex and nimble plot serves as a vehicle for a deeper story of the devastating, lifelong trauma caused by a great loss. In between adorable moments with her mercurial toddler and quirky excerpts from The Guidebook, Abi relates the exhaustion and isolation of grief in wry but heartrending detail. Redemptive and hopeful, Gravity Is the Thing announces the arrival of a fresh, funny and perceptive voice in adult fiction. -- Jaclyn Fulwood - Shelf-Awareness
With an eye as keen for human idiosyncrasies as Miranda July's, and a sense of humor as bright and surprising as Maria Semple's, this is a novel of pure velocity; it sucks the reader into Abi's problems and her joys in equal, brilliant measure. A complex dissection of the self-help industry, as well as a complete and moving portrait of a difficult, delightful woman, Moriarty proves her adult novels can live up to her YA work's reputation. (July) - Publishers Weekly - starred review
Here, Jaclyn Moriarty has given readers a tender and exhilarating tale of what becomes possible when you dare to believe in the impossible. GRAVITY IS THE THING brims with mystery and enchantment on every page. This book will leave readers breathless and aching for more. -- Meghan MacLean Weir, author of THE BOOK OF ESSIE I am in love with this hilarious and tender story about characters who enchanted and surprised me up to the last page. Gravity is the Thing will lift you up and leave you wondering if the most impossible ideas are actually the heart of everything. -- Mary Adkins, author of WHEN YOU READ THIS The main character's revelations are personal to her situation but really feel universal. The writing is exceptional, and the story is thoughtful. This book is a rare literary achievement. Find a copy. -- Seema R. - NetGalley US
Jaclyn Moriarty's hilarious, incandescent novel Gravity Is the Thing takes us along on Abigail (Abi) Sorensen's quest to find balance in her life after a family tragedy. [...] Moriarty's originality and humor flow on every page of this wise take on loss and healing. -- Elfrieda Abbe - Star Tribune (US)
A dazzling, imaginative novel filled with extraordinary heart and wisdom from Jaclyn Moriarty. [...] Astonishing. Poignant. Life-affirming. [...] A story with extraordinary heart, warmth and wisdom. - Female.com.au
A thoughtful, beautifully written, truly original, and often hilarious meditation on loss, hope, the self-help industry, and the difficulties of navigating life on earth. -- Emily St. John Mandel (author of STATION ELEVEN) A brilliant, beautiful, hilarious, heartbreaking, extraordinary book. I say this without bias, only awe. -- Liane Moriarty I loved this book. It's rare for me to have no idea where a story is headed but I only knew that I didn't want it to end. Funny, heartbreaking and clever with a mystery at its heart. - Jojo Moyes
It is ASTONISHINGLY WONDERFUL and magical and moving and uplifting and DIFFERENT . . . an instant classic . . . It literally might be my most favourite book of all time. - Marian Keyes
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