Marcy Dermansky

"There is, now, a literary term for a book that you can't stop reading that makes you stop to think. It is "The Red Car." --  The New York Times

 "The Red Car is melancholy and introspective, but sharply witty and transgressive too ... There's a particular intellectual and emotional gratification to be found in this smart novel that so wonderfully blurbs boundaries of reality, of past and present, of time and space. The Red Car is a remarkable book." -- Natalie Bakopoulos, The SF Chronicle

"A longtime cult favorite of writers like Roxane Gay, and now Maria Semple, it doesn't seem like a stretch to say the The Red Car could be the book that brings her mainstream success." --Doree Shafrif feature on Marcy in Buzzfeed.

"Dry, entertaining and crookedly insightful... [The Red Car] is on one level a fairy tale complete with fairy godmother, and on another, a whispered goad the rider: Live the life you really want." -- Marion Winik, Newsday

"A dry, delightful fairy tale for grown-ups." --  People

 "Twisted, sexy and mysterious." -- Emma Straub, The Today Show.

If you want to fall in love with a book almost at first sight (i.e paragraph four)...read Marcy Dermansky's The Red Car."  -- Elle Magazine

"In vivid, dreamlike prose. . . Dermansky delivers a captivating novel about the pursuit of joy that combines dreamlike logic with dark humor, wry observation, and gritty feminist." -- Kirkus (Starred Review)

"An erotic — and possibly haunted -- journey...Combining Haruki Murakami–inspired fabulism with the sexual realism of Jennifer Weiner, The Red Car is one of the most original novels published this year." -- The Village Voice.

"Funny, unpredictable, and moving, The Red Car is an irresistible book for anyone who’s ever felt stuck." --Buzzfeed, Best Books of 2016

 "One of 13 Books To Read This Fall" -- Vogue Magazine

"12 Best New Fiction Out in October"  -- Bustle

"11 Must Reads For This October" -- Nylon

"Dermansky is acerbic salvation." -- The Great Booksellers Fall 2016 Preview

"The Red Car is like a film so mesmerizing that you want to get another box of popcorn and see it again." --Shelf Awareness

Advance Praise for The Red Car:

“I've been waiting and waiting for a new book from Marcy Dermansky and finally that new book is here. The Red Car is taut and smart and strange and sweet and perfect. I want to eat this book or sew it to my skin or something.” -- Roxane Gay, author of The Untamed State and Bad Feminist

“There are few writers who can do what Marcy Dermansky does so effortlessly in The Red Car, the way she pushes this story in such surprising and thrilling directions, never losing control, taking your breath away line by beautiful line. Dermansky writes with such unnerving clarity about grief, not just for the loss of a loved one, but for our own unexpected lives. A strange, unflinching, utterly amazing novel.” -- Kevin Wilson, author of The Family Fang

“Marcy Dermansky’s The Red Car is a wonder. Moving, mysterious and filled with dark, sly humor, it rustles under your skin and stays there. By the time I reached its shimmering final pages, I wanted to go right back to the beginning and start again.” -- Megan Abbott, author of You Will Know Me

“A new book by the inimitable Marcy Dermansky is worth cheering for. The Red Car is droll, unflinching, and mysterious, a feat of efficient storytelling. I could not put it down. This novel mesmerized me.” -- Edan Lepucki, author of California

“Don’t be fooled by The Red Car’s brevity: it packs a serious punch. Dermansky’s vision is sharp and clear, pushing her beautifully realized protagonist, Leah, into the rapids on a journey of self-discovery. And we’re right there at her side, breathless, as she shakes herself awake. A tremendously moving story that feels true and important.” -- Cari Luna, author of The Revolution of Every Day

“I’ve long admired the work of Marcy Dermansky, and her latest is an absolute stunner. The Red Car is the very rare kind of novel that―with its urgency and intrigue and deep intelligence―will pin you to your chair and transport you utterly. Stop what you’re doing and read this book.” -- Laura van den Berg, author of Find Me

About The Book:

A wildly imaginative, rebellious, and tender tale of independence from the critically acclaimed author of the “deliciously wicked” (Slate) Bad Marie. 

In her trademark taut, mordantly funny, and “brainy, emotionally sophisticated” (New York Times) prose, Marcy Dermansky—a celebrated master of transgression— bring us a razor-sharp exploration of a women’s search for self-realization. When Leah’s former boss and mentor, Judy, dies in an accident and leaves Leah her most prized possession—a red sports car—the shock forces Leah to reevaluate her whole life. Leah is living in Queens with a husband she doesn’t love and a list of unfulfilled ambitions. Returning to San Francisco to claim the mysterious car she blames for Judy’s death, Leah revisits past lives and loves in several sprawling days colored by sex and sorrow and unexpected delight. Through the voice of Judy, who advises from afar, the surreal nature of grief is made hauntingly evident as Leah is led toward a new sense of freedom.