The Broken Teaglass

By: Emily Arsenault

Narrated by: Eileen Stevens, Oliver Wyman, Therese Plummer

Length: 11 hrs and 38 mins

Publisher's summary

The dusty files of a venerable dictionary publisher, a hidden cache of coded clues, a story written by a phantom author, an unsolved murder in a gritty urban park. All collide memorably in Emily Arsenault's magnificent debut, at once a teasing literary puzzle, an ingenious suspense novel, and an exploration of definitions: of words, of who we are, and of the stories we choose to define us.

In the maze of cubicles at Samuelson Company, editors toil away in silence, studying the English language, poring over new expressions and freshly coined words - all in preparation for the next new edition of the Samuelson Dictionary. Among them is editorial assistant Billy Webb, just out of college, struggling to stay awake and appear competent. But there are a few distractions. His intriguing coworker Mona Minot may or may not be flirting with him. And he's starting to sense something suspicious going on beneath this company's academic facade.

Mona has just made a startling discovery: a trove of puzzling citations, all taken from the same book, The Broken Teaglass. Billy and Mona soon learn that no such book exists. And the quotations from it are far too long, twisting, and bizarre for any dictionary. They read like a confessional, coyly hinting at a hidden identity, a secret liaison, a crime.

As Billy and Mona ransack the office files, a chilling story begins to emerge: a story about a lonely young woman, a long-unsolved mystery, a moment of shattering violence. And as they piece together its fragments, the puzzle begins to take on bigger personal meaning for both of them, compelling them to redefine their notions of themselves and each other.

Charged with wit and intelligence, set against a sweetly cautious love story, The Broken Teaglass is a tale that will delight lovers of words, lovers of mysteries, and fans of smart, funny, brilliantly inventive fiction.

©2009 Emily Arsenault (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“A literary gem.” (New York Times Notable Crime Books of 2009)

“Word lovers won't want to miss this one.” (Library Journal)

“The very definition of a promising debut.” (Booklist)

Why isn't this book famous?

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to anyone who loved words, or mysteries or just stories. I loved the linguistic excursioins and games, I loved the Burroughs-like deconstruction of the underlying hidden story of the broken teaglass, I loved the gentle non-obvious interaction between the two main investigating characters. I loved it!

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Broken Teaglass?

Strangely, it was one of the most disappointing moments, when what had actually happened was revealed - it cut off all of the multiple possible constructions I had been entertaining to that point. I have not felt as sad since realising that Huck Finn wasn't really going to go on floating down the river encountering new people and adventures forever.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

The accent was absolutely perfect for the world in which the book was set

If you could rename The Broken Teaglass, what would you call it?

I would not rename it. The oddness of the image of the teaglass is essential to the way the book works - building on the subtlest of linguistic and stylists clues