The Lunatic

By Michelle Slater

For fans of Patrick Dewitt and Henry David Thoreau comes The Lunatic--the debut literary novel from the author of two previous non-fiction books, Michelle B. Slater, PhD.

Set during the height of the Occupy Movement of 2011, 28-year-old Nell Harding starts an experiment--alongside her faithful animal companion Argos--with the goal of crafting a different kind of life for herself. Despite Nell being a rare books librarian, she's not immune to the lures of digital distraction, and she wonders if it's possible to create a meaningful life off the seductive digital grid.

Using herself as a test subject, Nell unplugs to see what will happen, leaving New York City to return to the Berkshire Hills of her childhood. What she finds is a life far more challenging, surprising, and--ultimately--rewarding than she could have possibly envisioned.

Drawing from Slater's background as a scholar of comparative literature and lover of conservationism, the novel engages with the work of poets, novelists, and philosophers, including Mallarm , Baudelaire, Emerson, Musil, Broch, and more. Nature lovers and modern-day philosophers won't be able to resist the tempting question--is absorption possible in the age of distraction?

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1771839449
• ISBN13: 9781771839440
• Release Date: April 2025
• Publisher: Guernica Editions
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.0" x 9.0"