SARAH BRUNI holds an MFA in fiction writing from Washington University in St. Louis, where she taught creative writing, and a degree in English literature from the University of Iowa. A Chicago native, she has volunteered as a writer-in-schools in San Francisco and Uruguay.
"Sweetly eccentric."--New York Times Book Review "THE NIGHT GWEN
STACY DIED uses Spider-Man lore to tell the tale of two loners and
improbable lawbreakers from Iowa, a high-school student and a
taxi-driver, who embark on a mission of escape to Chicago. Staged,
at first, as an abduction--gun, robbery, kidnapping--their
adventure quickly begins to resemble a surreal love story. Bruni's
book superbly explores the part fiction plays in our search for
identity." -Bookforum.com "Superbly suspenseful first novel
...Bruni does a masterful job evoking their world, equal parts
fantasy and reality and further skewed by a downtown Chicago that's
been invaded by coyotes...She keeps readers guessing as the plot
twists and turns. Bruni writes dark passages and playful moments
with equal aplomb. The world is her oyster." - Kirkus, starred
"Part tangled love story and part love affair with comics, this
debut novel centers on that tenuous bit of time between childhood
and adulthood, when anything seems possible and so many decisions
seem inevitable. Rough with dark psychology, rich with
introspection and emotion, this beautifully written book will
appeal to fans of Spider-Man comics as well as coming-of-age
fiction."
--Library Journal "Engaging... The novel's quirky tone and
accessible themes of rescue and recovery make for a likeable read."
- Publishers Weekly "Bruni drops us into a dreamy world where comic
book characters and psychic visions are as real as teenage boredom
and young love. Strange, funny, sexy, and full of insights you'll
want to revisit, Bruni's debut is a magical story, a white-knuckle
thrill ride." --Diana Spechler, author of Who by Fire and Skinny
"Sarah Bruni's fiercely smart and delectably unpredictable first
novel delivers again and again that most sought-after shiver up the
spine, the chill that comes when you realize the world you thought
you knew and understood is newer and stranger than you ever dared
imagine. The Night Gwen Stacy Died is a genuine page-turner."
--Kathryn Davis, author of The Walking Tour "Mixed into the
blustery atmosphere of The Night Gwen Stacy Died are gusts of
contemporary masters, like Joy Williams, Lorrie Moore, Kelly Link,
and Michael Chabon. But, like the heroes of her story, Bruni is too
spirited to be confined by the voices and tales of others. The
magic in the air, it turns out, is Bruni's singular voice, a spell
that so easily carried me away. Bruni's debut novel gave me the
sort of reading experience I always hope for but almost never find:
a world that somehow both resembles the one in which I live and is
also unlike any other I've ever seen or read."
--Stefan Merrill Block, author of The Story of Forgetting "In this
sterling debut, a pseudo Bonnie and Clyde with Peter Parker and
Gwen Stacy delusions go on the lam in Iowa and hide out in Chicago,
but the pleasures here go far beyond the propulsive narrative. The
prose is blade-sharp, the eerie love story is leavened with moments
of unforced wit, and the nuanced observations are utterly
idiosyncratic. It's as if Lorrie Moore wrote a taut thriller--not
an updated Western, but a modern Midwestern."
--Teddy Wayne, author of The Love Song of Jonny Valentine "Sarah
Bruni is a brave and bold new voice. This thrilling novel is as
wise and intelligent as it is young at heart. With humor and grace,
Bruni takes us on an unexpected adventure of love and loss, of
beginnings and ends, all the while showing us what it really means
to be a hero."
--Alison Espach, author of The Adults "The perspective shifts,
slippery identities, --
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