1.17.2012
In an election year, nasty rhetoric is par for the course. But what if all that toxic language was, well, actually toxic?
That’s the premise of The Flame Alphabet, the new novel by Ben Marcus.
When Sam and his wife begin feeling sick, they’re not sure why. But when their teenage daughter, Esther, leaves the house, the couple recovers. The horrifying prospect dawns on them that their daughter — specifically, her speech — is poisoning them. Soon it becomes clear that the sickness is spreading beyond their small Jewish community.
Listen to the interview.
