Lost and Wanted, by Nell Freudenberger

This book knocked my socks off. I read Freudenberger’s first book, a collection of short stories when it first came out. While I’m sure portions of her book reflect actual people she knows or situations that she’s been in, she seems to select interesting far-ranging subjects. Though her writing style is very different, I was reminded of Richard Powers’ The Overstory: lots of science (in Lost and Wanted, physics) and some quirky physicists. But while Powers also populates his books with mere mortals, Freudenberger seems to offer only geniuses and uber-creative people. Still Lost and Wanted is a very interesting tale, and I enjoyed hanging out with the protagonist as she processes the death of her best friend from college.