Jun 21, 2016 | 336 Pages
“[I]n a society where intergenerational and mentoring relationships remain rare, the book serves as a needed reminder that ‘biology flows downhill.’”
—The Rumpus
“Goldstone traces a decades-long friendship and mentorship in this debut novel . . . [there’s] more measured pace and tighter focus on the writers’ craft in the novel’s first part (not to mention the slow-burning growth of Isabelle and Daniel’s relationship). . . Although Goldstone nominally tells both Isabelle and Daniel’s stories, Daniel’s later-in-life reinvention of self forms the far more compelling narrative arc.”
—Publishers Weekly
“Goldstone (Tell Me One Thing, 2014) covers the 20-year friendship and correspondence between a teacher and a student in her first novel . . . Surprise Me is a realistic story of the astonishing ways two people can forever make an imprint on each other’s lives.”
—Booklist
“[A] deeply profound debut novel about the complicated relationship between an aspiring writer and a reclusive mentor. . . What Goldstone does exceedingly well is use her incredible prose to help make the two main characters – Isabelle and Daniel – resonate long after completing the novel.”
—Vol. 1 Brooklyn
