We were thrilled to host a livestreamed conversation about Death Valley, the newest release from author Melissa Broder (Milk Fed, The Pisces). Broder brings her dark, existential humor to this thrillingly imaginative tale about a woman who has fled California—and her sorrows—for the desert. She enters into a mysterious opening in a large cactus while on a hike and embarks on an equally hilarious and poignant journey of self-reflection. Broder was joined by Karah Preiss, co-founder of Belletrist, for a conversation about the intersections of grief and humor, and utilizing imaginative, impossible elements to unlock human truth.
Presented in partnership with the Jewish Book Council.
Featured Book
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Death Valley
By Melissa Broder
Published by Scribner / Simon & Schuster
In Melissa Broder’s astounding new novel, a woman arrives alone at a Best Western seeking respite from an emptiness that plagues her. She has fled to the California high desert to escape a cloud of sorrow—for both her father in the ICU and a husband whose illness is worsening. What the motel provides, however, is not peace but a path, thanks to a receptionist who recommends a nearby hike.
Out on the sun-scorched trail, the woman encounters a towering cactus whose size and shape mean it should not exist in California. Yet the cactus is there, with a gash through its side that beckons like a familiar door. So she enters it. What awaits her inside this mystical succulent sets her on a journey at once desolate and rich, hilarious and poignant.
This is Melissa Broder at her most imaginative, most universal, and finest. This is Death Valley.
In Conversation
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Melissa Broder
Melissa Broder
Melissa Broder is the author of the novels Milk Fed and The Pisces, the essay collection So Sad Today, and five poetry collections, including Superdoom. She has written for the New York Times, Elle.com, and New York magazine’s the Cut. She lives in Los Angeles.
Photo Credit: Ryan Pfluger
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Karah Preiss
Karah Preiss
Karah Preiss is a creative producer living in New York City. She cofounded Belletrist book club with actress Emma Roberts, along with Belletrist Productions, a TV and film production company.
