Ann Patchett, at Powell’s in September 2016 during her Commonwealth tour, said she wants to read "a smart funny book that isn't tragic at the end but doesn't make you feel dumb. That book is one we can sell because everybody has already read Where'd You Go Bernadette ." Queen of Spades is exactly that type of book—accessible. The author has two Ph.Ds and has written a compelling, brilliantly constructed novel that appears deceptively simple. Its clean sentences, lack of...
