States of Emergency
Chris Knapp
In the summer of 2015, a young couple—an American and his French wife—undergo fertility treatment in Paris. They settle in to wait for the results as a heatwave paralyzes the city.
As the heat rises, a state of emergency is declared and tempers flare, leaving cracks in the foundation of their marriage. In the months that follow, they find themselves navigating a confluence of world crises and historical forces that affect each in ways the other struggles to understand.
Against this backdrop of existential dread, the fissures in their marriage widen as they confront their everyday apocalypse. An ongoing conversation begins: one that moves backward and forward in time, swings between hope and despair, dry laughter and hard fury, all in an effort toward reconciliation. How will their conflicting ideas about how to build a life together—how to love each other—survive in the face of a future that’s collapsing before their eyes?
States of Emergency
by Chris Knapp
Published: September 03, 2024
ISBN: 9781961884045
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About the Author
Chris Knapp’s work has appeared in The Paris Review, n+1, Granta, and the New England Review, among others. He’s earned an MFA in fiction at the University of Virginia, and an MA in journalism and international affairs from SciencesPo in Paris, where he lives with his wife. States of Emergency is his first novel. Read more...