Julian Tepper, in conversation with Max Maduka, discusses & signs Getting Even/Letting Go
Featured Book
Getting Even/Letting Go
Getting Even/Letting Go is a taut, darkly comic novel about money, memory, and the psychic wreckage of a marriage long after love has ended.
On a single spring afternoon in New York City, Gene Mills—a once-successful writer now living on fumes—hosts friends in his apartment while waiting for an art auction that could change everything. The paintings on the block were made by his ex-wife, now a global art star. They depict her affair, her ambition, and the life she detonated when she left him. Gene believes selling them is justice. Or survival. Or both.
As the clock ticks toward the auction lots, Gene spirals through old resentments, legal threats, parental guilt, financial desperation, and the corrosive pleasure of retaliation. What unfolds is an intimate portrait of a man trying to convert emotional injury into cash, to reclaim dignity through ownership, and to convince himself that getting even might finally allow him to let go.
With biting wit and relentless psychological precision, Julian Tepper explores the moral gray zones of divorce, custody, authorship, and art-world power—where love becomes leverage, memory becomes inventory, and victory may cost more than defeat. Getting Even/Letting Go is a novel about what remains when intimacy turns transactional, and whether freedom can ever be purchased without exacting a final, private price.
This book will be available for purchase at the event.
About This Event
Getting Even/Letting Go is a taut, darkly comic novel about money, memory, and the psychic wreckage of a marriage long after love has ended.On a single spring afternoon in New York City, Gene Mills--a once-successful writer now living on fumes--hosts friends in his apartment while waiting for an art auction that could change everything. The paintings on the block were made by his ex-wife, now a global art star. They depict her affair, her ambition, and the life she detonated when she left him. Gene believes selling them is justice. Or survival. Or both.As the clock ticks toward the auction lots, Gene spirals through old resentments, legal threats, parental guilt, financial desperation, and the corrosive pleasure of retaliation. What unfolds is an intimate portrait of a man trying to convert emotional injury into cash, to reclaim dignity through ownership, and to convince himself that getting even might finally allow him to let go.With biting wit and relentless psychological precision, Julian Tepper explores the moral gray zones of divorce, custody, authorship, and art-world power--where love becomes leverage, memory becomes inventory, and victory may cost more than defeat. Getting Even/Letting Go is a novel about what remains when intimacy turns transactional, and whether freedom can ever be purchased without exacting a final, private price. Bio:Julian Tepper's fifth novel, Getting Even/Letting Go (Rare Bird), will be published in the fall of 2026. His writing has appeared in The Paris Review, Playboy, Brooklyn Rail, Zyzzyva, Daily Beast, Bomb, Tablet Magazine, The New York Review of Architecture, and elsewhere. His essay, "Locking Down with the Family You've Just Eviscerated in a Novel" was a "Notable Essay of 2022" in Best American Essays 2022. He was born and raised in New York City.Max Maduka is an actress and writer living in California. Twice named to the Forbes 30-Under-30, she is formerly the editor-in-chief of the American Reader, and writes on theology, literature, culture, and the arts.
Featured Author
Tepper, Julian
In Conversation With
Max Maduka
Max Maduka is an actress and writer living in California. Twice named to the Forbes 30-Under-30, she is formerly the editor-in-chief of the American Reader, and writes on theology, literature, culture, and the arts.
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UNSOUPERVISED READERS CLUB
Hosted by Book Soup Bookseller, Jessica! UNSOUPERVISED READERS SEPTEMBER EDITION WILL BE:Hungerstone by Kat DunnIt’s the height of the Industrial Revolution, and ten years into Lenore’s marriage to steel magnate Henry, their relationship has soured. When Henry’s ambitions take them from London to the remote British moorlands, a shocking carriage accident brings the mysterious Carmilla into their lives. Carmilla, who is weak and pale during the day but vibrant at night. Carmilla, who stirs something deep within Lenore.Soon, girls from the local villages fall sick, consumed by a terrible hunger, and Lenore begins to unravel. Torn between regaining her husband’s affection and the cravings Carmilla has awakened, Lenore must confront a darkness that will place her at risk.This immersive reworking of Carmilla, the queer novella that inspired Dracula, delivers a richly atmospheric look at feminine rage and the desires that feed our hunger. About the AuthorKat Dunn is the Lambda Award-winning and nationally bestselling author of Hungerstone. She has a BA in Japanese from SOAS and an MA in English from Warwick, has written about mental health for Mind, and worked as a translator for Japanese television. Kat grew up in London and has lived in Japan, Australia, and France.
Susan Orlean, in conversation with Patton Oswalt, discusses & signs Joyride: A Memoir
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR BY NPR, TIME, OPRAH DAILY, GOODREADS, AND MORE"Brilliant...A high-spirited, exhilarating memoir." --The Wall Street Journal - "In Joyride, the takeaway often has as much to do with the art of living as the art of writing." --Elle - "Wise and exuberant... It's funny, as well. Just masterful." --David Sedaris - "Superbly good...Ebullient, frank, moving, and inspiring." -- Booklist (starred review)From Susan Orlean, the beloved New Yorker writer and bestselling author of The Orchid Thief and The Library Book who has been hailed as "a national treasure" by The Washington Post, comes a masterful memoir of finding her creative calling and purpose that invites us to approach life with wonder, curiosity, and an irrepressible sense of delight."The story of my life is the story of my stories," writes Susan Orlean in this extraordinary, era-defining memoir from one of the greatest practitioners of narrative nonfiction of our time. Joyride is a magic carpet ride through Orlean's life and career, where every day is an opportunity for discovery and every moment holds the potential for wonder. Throughout her storied career, her curiosity has drawn her to explore the most ordinary and extraordinary of places, from going deep inside the head of a regular ten-year-old boy for a legendary profile ("The American Man Age Ten") to reporting on a woman who owns twenty-seven tigers, from capturing the routine magic of Saturday night to climbing Mt. Fuji.Not only does Orlean's account of a writing life offer a trove of indispensable gleanings for writers, it's also an essential and practical "master class" ( The New York Times) to embracing any creative path. She takes us through her process of dreaming up ideas, managing deadlines, connecting with sources, chasing every possible lead, confronting writer's block and self-doubt, and crafting the perfect lede--a Susan specialty.While Orlean has always written her way into other people's lives in order to understand the human experience, Joyride is her most personal book ever--a searching journey through finding her feet as a journalist, recovering from the excruciating collapse of her first marriage, falling head-over-heels in love again, becoming a mother while mourning the decline of her own mother, sojourning to Hollywood for films based on her work including Adaptation and Blue Crush, and confronting mortality. Joyride is also a time machine to a bygone era of journalism, from Orlean's bright start in the golden age of alt-weeklies to her career-making days working alongside icons such as Robert Gottlieb, Tina Brown, David Remnick, Anna Wintour, Sonny Mehta, and Jonathan Karp--forces who shaped the media industry as we know it today.Infused with Orlean's signature warmth and wit, Joyride is a must-read for anyone who hungers to start, build, and sustain a creative life. Orlean inspires us to seek out daily inspiration and rediscover the marvels that surround us.Susan Orlean has been a staff writer at The New Yorker since 1992. She is the New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including The Library Book, Rin Tin Tin, Saturday Night, and The Orchid Thief, which was made into the Academy Award-winning film Adaptation. She lives with her family and her animals in Los Angeles and may be reached at SusanOrlean.com and on Substack at SusanOrlean.Substack.com. Patton Oswalt is an award-winning actor, writer, and comedian. From his comedy specials to more than 200 film and television roles, Oswalt chooses work that inspires him and entertains audiences. Most recently his newest special, TEA & SCOTCH, came out on YouTube and has over half a million views. He co-created M.O.D.O.K., a Marvel stop-motion animated adult comedy series for Hulu, as well as voices the titular character and co-starred on the NBC Universal comedy A.P. Bio. This is a ticketed event through Eventbrite and will take place at the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, located at 540 S. Commonwealth Ave, Los Angeles, CA 90020 Your ticket includes a paperback copy of Joyride, to be handed out at check-in. A public book signing will follow the conversation. Check-in begins at 6pm and the show begins promptly at 7pm. No refunds on the day of the event. Questions? Please email info@booksoup.com
FREE RSVP: Jason Neese discusses & signs The Travelling Audience
When Jacob's twin brother vanishes without a trace, he begins following a trail of impossible postcards scattered across America--cryptic messages that hint at apocalypse, destiny, and something deeply wrong with reality itself.Then he finds her.Naked outside his motel room in Denver, a young woman with no memory of who she is claims she's supposed to be with him. She remembers obscure details about strangers' lives but nothing about her own. As Jacob and the mysterious Mia cross a surreal, burning America in search of his missing brother, their journey spirals into a fever dream of roadside prophets, fractured identities, religious cults, motel rooms, tarot omens, and the terrifying feeling that the world is quietly unraveling beneath them.Part cosmic road novel, part psychological mystery, and part surreal romance, The Traveling Audience is a hypnotic exploration of memory, connection, fate, and what it means to exist in a universe that no longer feels stable.For readers who love strange literary fiction with the emotional weight of American Gods, the existential surrealism of Twin Peaks, and the road-trip intensity of On the Road, this is a story that lingers long after the final page. Jason Neese graduated with a BFA in creative writing from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. He went on to become a screenwriter, director and producer for film and tv. He was co-executive producer for Netflix mega hit The Umbrella Academy. He co-produced Kevin Costner’s western epic Horizon. He more recently wrote and produced the feature film And Out Comes The Wolf starring Giancarlo Esposito and Ryan Hurst and is currently writing and directing a YA paranormal indie series called We Believe You which Kevin Costner will produce. Looking ahead, Jason with his twin brother, just sold a sci-fi time travel television show starring Nathan Fillion to Netflix which will go into production in 2027 and are attached to direct the feature film Goodman.The Traveling Audience is his debut novel.