A Wonderful Stroke of Luck

Named a Most Anticipated Book of 2019 by Vulture, The Millions, and O MagazineA razor-sharp, deeply felt new novel—the twenty-first book by Ann Beattie—about the complicated relationship between a charismatic teacher and his students, and the secrets we keep from those we loveAt a boarding school in New Hampshire, Ben joins the honor society led by Pierre LaVerdere, an enigmatic, brilliant, yet perverse teacher who instructs his students not only about how to reason, but how to prevaricate. As the years go by, LaVerdere's covert and overt instruction lingers in his students' lives as they seek some sense of purpose or meaning. Ben feels the pace of his life accelerating and views his intimate relationships as less and less fulfilling; there seems to be a subtext he's not able to access. And what, really, did Bailey Academy teach him?While relationships with his...