Peck & Peck
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Pub Date Oct 13 2026 | Archive Date Sep 18 2026
Bonnier | Manilla
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Description
The number one bestselling author of global sensation, Lessons in Chemistry, returns with an irresistible story about a young man whose life turns upside down when he is hired by the most prestigious, secretive, and dysfunctional poetry journal in the world: the renowned Peck & Peck.
THE NUMBER ONE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF GLOBAL SENSATION LESSONS IN CHEMISTRY RETURNS . . .
Peck & Peck tells the irresistible story of a young man whose life turns upside down when he is hired by the most prestigious, secretive and dysfunctional poetry journal in the world: the renowned Peck & Peck.
Batter Gray is worried about his future. Even when he was eleven, his classmates seemed to have settled on a goal: doctor, lawyer, broker, engineer. Good jobs that automatically command respect and security. Now Batter is in his early 20s, living in New York City, and he wants something different; something that alienates some people and bores most. Poetry. And yet to him - and exactly thirty-nine editors at a company called Peck & Peck - poetry not only represents the power of humanity but holds the key to its survival.
Batter was named after his mother's dog, who seemed to have achieved more in his short years on earth than he ever will. But as an identical twin who lost his brother at birth, Batter finds himself confronted by the everyday dualities that make up life: right vs. wrong, truth vs. lies, rejection vs. acceptance. It's almost as if his dead brother is a reminder: there are always two sides to every story.
No, wait. Make that three.
In Peck & Peck Bonnie Garmus has created a tour de force of a novel. Hugely original, brilliantly funny and peopled with unforgettable characters, Peck & Peck is both a passionate ode to the written word and a heartwarming exploration of all that makes us human.
Advance Praise
"This novel is everything: a love story, a literary thriller, a brilliant satire that's full of humor and heart. Only Bonnie Garmus can write like this." — MEG MASON, internationally bestselling author of You Be Mother and Sorrow and Bliss
"I'm absolutely over the moon about Bonnie Garmus' new novel, Peck & Peck. It is EXACTLY what I needed to read right now. Charming, uplifting, soulful, and original, Peck & Peck is the perfect successor to Lessons In Chemistry. If you loved Elizabeth Zott, you will adore Batter Gray. Book clubs will adore this novel. I loved it." - KRISTIN HANNAH
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781786588821 |
| PRICE | A$34.99 (AUD) |
| PAGES | 448 |
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Average rating from 14 members
Featured Reviews
Reviewer 2151654
This book is delightful. It has been a minute since I’ve laughed out loud more than a few times while reading a book. And bonus points for zero emotional devastation.
Like with Lessons in Chemistry, the protagonist (male this time) has a unique voice and a quirky point of view. Each key character is fleshed out so you can understand them better, and I really enjoyed the rollicking plot with twists and turns which I did not see coming. It’s historic fiction (1980s) and set in the world of publishing, and precisely the right length to give you a nice meaty story with just a slight risk of dragging right towards the end.
A great one to take on holiday if you’ve got travel plans.
Kristy H, Reviewer
Well. That was bloody brilliant.
I was lucky enough to get an early copy of Bonnie Garmus’s Peck & Peck, and I went in with very high hopes.
And then I locked in. And I mean LOCKED in.
It’s completely different from Lessons in Chemistry, but I was every bit as hooked. I carried this book around with me everywhere, looking for opportunities to squeeze in “just one more chapter” like someone who has become more than a little obsessed.
We follow Batter Gray, a young man named after a heroic dog, as he grows up and finishes university and somehow blags his way into what he believes will be his dream job at Peck & Peck, the very epitome of the poetic literary world.
And then things get weird.
Really weird.
It’s whimsical. It’s outrageous. At times it’s bordering on the completely bonkers. And yet I was completely wrapped up in this world. I bought into it all. Even when I was thinking, surely this cannot be where we’re going, I was desperate to find out where we were going.
Bonnie Garmus is one hell of a storyteller.
I laughed. I was baffled. I occasionally wondered what the hell was going on.
And I absolutely loved it.
I did not want this book to end.
Don’t go into this expecting Lessons in Chemistry. Go into this expecting a hell of a yarn told by a hell of a storyteller and enjoy the ride!🎢
Bonnie Garmus, you are now an automatic read for me. Please tell me you are writing another one ❤️❤️❤️
Thanks to NetGalley, Allen & Unwin and Bonnie Garmus for the opportunity to read this in exchange for an honest review.
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