There Is Nothing Strange

“In this quirky and deftly told love story, Susan Pepper Robbins writes with humor and suspense. She manages to weave tragic events with dark comedy and a heartfelt joy in characters. In There Is Nothing Strange everything is actually quite strange but in the way Midsummer Night’s Dream is strange. This tight, page turner kept me reading because I had to see where this would all end.”— Mary Morris. Author of The Jazz Palace, The Waiting Room, Nothing to Declare: Memoirs of a Woman Traveling Alone, The Virago Book of Women Travellers, etc.

“In There is Nothing Strange, Susan Pepper Robbins blends dark humor reminiscent of Flannery O’Connor with prose that calls Virginia Woolf to mind, tautly beautiful lines and images echoing each other from page to page. In the process, she manages to breathe new life into a particular brand of southern gentry—bank poor, perhaps, but rich in land and eccentricity, family name and huge regrets, tragic histories and complicated loves. Every single one of the people in this novel is a mess and what a thrill it is to read their story.”  Michael Knight, author of Divining Rod and The Typist  

“There Is Nothing Strange is a dance that waltzes the room around you but never lets you slip. It's a tapestry of voice, insight and wisdom, woven around its lucky reader. And it's a beautiful story told beautifully, a novel about how the past keeps pulling at us, even as we try to press on." Tom Franklin, author of Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter and The Tilted World

Praise for Susan Pepper Robbins’ other books:

"One Way Home" breaks all the cliches. For once, we get a single mother with wit and verve and a kind, zany heart. At last we get a realistc author who doesn't slouch through the novel as if all culture and hope were dead." Carol Bly

"Here is a unique voice, razor-sharp with humor and with sorrow, an author who lifts the carpets of our lives for a quick peek. Like most southern writers before her, Susan Pepper
Robbins has a strong sense of place. But what sets her work apart from the traditional and even expands the theme is the notion that (as though she's some wise turtle) her sense of place travels with her." Cathie Pelletier

"Robbins's truthful and often engaging debut novel is an empathetic take on the plight of harried single parents who work full time....In this painfully honest book, Robbins's spunky
heroine finds humor in her disheartening experiences." Publishers Weekly

"Ruth's a fast talker and she's flip. She impresses us with her nerve....lots of wit, plenty of punch." Kirkus Reviews