Product Description

“Tender, hilarious, and packed with delightful surprises . . . If Einstein and John Cleese had written a novel together, this would be it.”
–Joseph Weisberg, author of 10th Grade

Four friends set out into the night in Cambridge, Massachusetts, undeterred by the fact that one of them might actually be dead. Deb has perfected the half-hour orgasm. Grant, a geek, desperately desires Deb. Depressed Arlene has just improbably slept with Johnny, their leader, who recently and accidentally shot himself to death.

But is he (or anyone) alive or dead until he’s observed to be by someone else? Maybe not, according to Dr. Erwin Schrödinger, the renowned physicist (1887—1961) who is, strangely, still ambling through the Ivy League town, offering opinions and proofs about how our perceptions can bring to life–and, in turn, reduce and destroy–other people and ourselves. And what does Schrödinger have to do with the President of Montana, who just declared war on the rest of the country, or the Harvard Square bag lady who is rewriting the history of the world? What’s the significance of the cat in the box, the “miracle molecule,” or the discarded piece of luncheon meat?

Answer: All will collide by the end of this hypersmart, supersexy, madly moving novel that crosses structural inventiveness with easygoing accessibility, the United States with our internal states of being, philosophy with fiction. In Adam Felber’s dazzling debut, science and humanity collide in a kaleidoscopic story that is as hilarious as death and as heartbreaking as love.

Praise:
“A jangle of provocative absurdities playing off a pair of lovers so winning that readers, like the audiences at the old Hollywood romantic comedies, will all but rent ladders to uncross the stars that guide and misguide their efforts…. [Schrodinger’s Ball is] a romantic fantasy in three-quarter time, as brainy as it is airy, and unhinged either way.”–The New York Times

“Felber has done the impossible: he’s made quantum theory seem hysterically funny and Cambridge, Massachusetts seem like a place of strange magic. Schrödinger’s Ball is a great read that will blind you with science and laughter.”–Chris Regan, writer for The Daily Show and co-author of America (The Book)

“[A] crackling comic novel…[Felber] frolics in the fields of science....His wit and linguistic acrobatics make this clever mind-bender worth the ride.–Booklist
 
“It’s smart, it’s funny, it’s got heart. All this and an umlaut too! Schrödinger’s Ball is thoroughly lively.”–Roy Blount Jr., author of Roy Blount’s Book of Southern Humor

“If Einstein and John Cleese had written a novel together, this would be it. Felber creates a world that is both completely real and totally enchanted. Tender, hilarious, and packed with delightful surprises, Schrödinger’s Ball is even more original than other really original books.”–Joseph Weisberg, author of Tenth Grade

“There’s no uncertainty about it. Schrödinger’s Ball once and for all proves the Adam Felber theory of comic novel writing: a book can be rollickingly funny, sharply satirical, romantic, and endearing–and involve quantum physics.”–Mo Rocca, author of All the Presidents’ Pets: The Story of One Reporter Who Refused to Roll Over
 
 ”Schrödinger’s Ball is as funny as hell, charming and kind, and perceptive and moving. Adam Felber has an amazing feel for the interior lives of his characters, even while using the shifting points-of-view of a David Foster Wallace.”–Peter Sagal, host of NPR’s Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me!

“[A] raucous, willfully absurd debut…designed to expose the beautiful randomness of existence….Felber has embraced postmodern fiction's favorite themes…and turned it into a work of broad comedy instead of a fit of fatalistic handwringing.”–Kirkus Reviews

“Few novels attempting a deliberately bad explanation of the uncertainty principle could surpass this inspired romp….Felber's debut is illogically, warmly entertaining.”–Publishers Weekly

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #606855 in Books
• Published on: 2006-08-15
• Released on: 2006-08-15
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 256 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Few novels attempting a deliberately bad explanation of the uncertainty principle could surpass this inspired romp from first-time novelist Felber, a comedian and TV writer. Several characters' disparate lives intersect in a Rube Goldbergesque sequence of events. There's Dr. Erwin Schrödinger, Nobel prize winner in physics, who demonstrated the fallacy of Heisenberg's theory of quantum uncertainty via his famous cat experiment, and the President of the Free State of Montana, who is fleeing to Cambridge, Mass., after an off-the-grid shootout with the Feds. Meanwhile, in Harvard Square, Johnny Felix Decaté, a young musician who is both dead and not dead (like Schrödinger's theoretical cat), is acting in ways that puzzle his friends; homeless woman Brenda is rewriting the history of the world; and the Prophet Bernie, a schizophrenic homeless man, is waiting for God's command to cross the street. All come together via a freakish truck crash that has lasting impact for all. Felber's debut is illogically, warmly entertaining. (Aug. 15)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
Felber, comedian, television writer, and panelist on NPR's Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me, frolics in the fields of science in this wacky tale revolving around four friends in Cambridge, Massachusetts, the late celebrated physicist Erwin Schrodinger, and a cat that may be alive or dead, depending on one's perspective. The cast of this crackling comic novel fills two pages and includes Earl Anderson, president of the Free State of Montana, summarily deposed after declaring war on the rest of the U.S.; Johnny Felix Decate, a musician with gun-cleaning skills that leave much to be desired; and temporary employee Deborah Johnstone, whose marathon orgasms belong in Ripley's Believe It or Not. Like physics itself, the manner in which these characters' lives intersect defies simple description. Suffice it to say, Schrodinger's Ball bounces among love, madness, and the invention and promotion of the World's Largest Molecule. While Felber's narrative antics are tiresome at times (like the mentally unbalanced character of Brenda, who rewrites the history of the world), his wit and linguistic acrobatics make this clever mind-bender worth the ride. Allison Block
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review
“A jangle of provocative absurdities playing off a pair of lovers so winning that readers, like the audiences at the old Hollywood romantic comedies, will all but rent ladders to uncross the stars that guide and misguide their efforts…. [Schrodinger’s Ball is] a romantic fantasy in three-quarter time, as brainy as it is airy, and unhinged either way.”
–The New York Times

“Felber has done the impossible: he’s made quantum theory seem hysterically funny and Cambridge, Massachusetts seem like a place of strange magic. Schrödinger’s Ball is a great read that will blind you with science and laughter.”
–Chris Regan, writer for The Daily Show and co-author of America (The Book)

“[A] crackling comic novel…[Felber] frolics in the fields of science....His wit and linguistic acrobatics make this clever mind-bender worth the ride.”
–Booklist
 
“It’s smart, it’s funny, it’s got heart. All this and an umlaut too! Schrödinger’s Ball is thoroughly lively.”
–Roy Blount Jr., author of Roy Blount’s Book of Southern Humor

“If Einstein and John Cleese had written a novel together, this would be it. Felber creates a world that is both completely real and totally enchanted. Tender, hilarious, and packed with delightful surprises, Schrödinger’s Ball is even more original than other really original books.”
–Joseph Weisberg, author of Tenth Grade

“There’s no uncertainty about it. Schrödinger’s Ball once and for all proves the Adam Felber theory of comic novel writing: a book can be rollickingly funny, sharply satirical, romantic, and endearing–and involve quantum physics.”
–Mo Rocca, author of All the Presidents’ ...

Customer Reviews

Simply amazing!
THE LONG VERSION:
Schrodinger's Ball is an amazing first novel by writer and satirist Adam Felber. It features absurdist humor, charming and delightful characters (at least one of whom spends most of the story being at once dead and not-dead), a healthy dose of quantum physics, a happy mix of first-, second-, and third-person narratives, and a writing style that easily slips into pseudo-Biblical and faux-Shakespearean and, at least once, breaks down completely.

Others have tried to write in this genre; A.C. Weisbecker's Cosmic Banditos, for example, or Douglas Adams's Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. But Felber has the chops to bring it off: he knows of what he speaks, and he knows how to say it well.

Readers not familiar with quantum physics need not be intimidated - characters ranging from the President of Montana to a hapless sparrow to Dr. Schrodinger himself will help guide you through. The physics is a backdrop, the music to the dance in which the characters engage, a dance which brings them all together in a smashing climax. A dance that can be called...Schrodinger's Ball.

THE SHORT VERSION:
Good book. Buy it.

Postmodern Magic
Adam Felber's first novel is a delightful jumble of physics, romance and comedy, written in a manner that stretches the conventions of language and plot to glorious lengths. It reminds of me early Tom Robbins, especially "Still Life With Woodpecker." Don't be intimidated by Cast of Characters or the physics: it's all knit together so subtly that the reader is unaware of being drawn in until it's too late - you're turning pages and laughing out loud, on your way to an enchanting and satisfying conclusion.

Felberpalooza
Having been a fan of Adam Felber from his many stints on NPR's "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me!", I've appreciated his wit and wisdom for quite a while. When I learned he had written a book, well, it just couldn't have been published quickly enough to suit me. The wait was worth it! What a story and what a cast of zany, intriguing characters, some of whom know each other and some of whom are like ships passing in the night, brought together by chance occurance.

Mr. Felber is a great student of life, history and science and I tell you, Quantum Mechanics was never this fun in college. The supporting characters are delightfully eccentric and hopefully, fodder for future books. This is a book that should be read over and over, each time absorbing a deeper meaning to the humorous escapades. Go to a book signing and meet the author, if you can. A most generous, gracious and intelligent credit to the human race. Plus, he's a funny guy.