Tripping Arcadia

A Gothic Novel

By: Kit Mayquist

Narrated by: Carlotta Brentan

Length: 10 hrs and 53 mins

Publisher's summary

From debut author Kit Mayquist, a propulsive and atmospheric modern gothic with all the splendor of The Great Gatsby . . . and all the secrets, lies, and darkness that opulence can hide

Med school dropout Lena is desperate for a job, any job, to help her parents, who are approaching bankruptcy after her father was injured and laid off nearly simultaneously. So when she is offered a position, against all odds, working for one of Boston’s most elite families, the illustrious and secretive Verdeaus, she knows she must accept—no matter how bizarre the interview or how vague the job description.

By day, she is assistant to the family doctor and his charge, Jonathan, the sickly, poetic, drunken heir to the family empire, who is as difficult as his illness is mysterious. By night, Lena discovers the more sinister side of the family, as she works overtime at their lavish parties, helping to hide their self-destructive tendencies . . . and trying not to fall for Jonathan’s alluring sister, Audrey. But when she stumbles upon the knowledge that the Verdeau patriarch is the one responsible for the ruin of her own family, Lena vows to get revenge—a poison-filled quest that leads her further into this hedonistic world than she ever bargained for, forcing her to decide how much, and whom, she's willing to sacrifice for payback.

The perfect next story for fans of Mexican Gothic, Tripping Arcadia is a thrilling and shocking tale with an unforgettable protagonist that explores family legacy and inheritance, the sacrifices we must make to get by in today’s world, and the intoxicating, dangerous power of wealth.

©2022 Kit Mayquist (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

One of LGBTQ Reads' “Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Adult Fiction: January–June 2022” | One of BuzzFeed's “19 Hot LGBTQ+ Books from the First Half of 2022” | One of Veranda magazine's “22 Most-Anticipated Books of the New Year” | One of Book Riot's “10 of the Most Exciting 2022 Debuts to Preorder Now” | One of BookPage's “2022 Preview: Most Anticipated Mystery & Suspense” | One of Literary Lip Balms' “40 Most Anticipated LGBTQ+ Books of 2022”

“Gory and glittering, Tripping Arcadia is a classic in the making, effortlessly modernizing the gothic in a way that feels both fresh and timeless. Mayquist is a novelist to watch.”—Hannah Whitten, New York Times Bestselling author of For the Wolf

“Tripping Arcadia is a lush modern gothic tale, filled with decadent glamor and hidden secrets, where Donna Tartt meets Bernardo Bertolucci's The Dreamers. Kit Mayquist weaves a world as alluring and dangerous as an arcane poison.”—Lyndall Clipstone, author of Lakesedge

“Kit Mayquist's deft ability to craft deliciously atmospheric tension, combined with his compelling, lyrical language made Tripping Arcadia a knockout powerhouse of a book I simply couldn't put down until I'd breathlessly inhaled it all. Don't miss this stunning debut.”—R. H. Herron, author of Stolen Things and Hush Little Baby

Great story, Rushed ending!

For those looking for a story about bringing down the rich with a splash of romance. Performance is fantastic as well.

So So

Listen in small chunky at a time to avoid boredom. Narrator was great. The story felt like it had so much potential, unfulfilled potential.

Fantastic book

Whatever you think is going to happen by the fifth chapter, you’re wrong. Pleasant mystery that gives you a lot of opportunity to guess. The poor voice actress did not get along with the word “fluorescent” though.

Spectacular

A truly gothic novel that sucked me in and made me hate and love every single character. The twists are superb! Read this immediately!!!!

Good try

The ending was a bit of a disaster. This had a good concept and I thought it could be fun unfortunately execution was not right. I wanted to like this book. I was very disappointed

not quite a gothic novel

Unfortunately, this didn't do it for me.

An unlikable cast of characters (if you can even call them that), with loads of telling instead of showing, to the point that I don't know why anyone wanted to be friends with anyone, let alone kiss them.

What was there to like about Audrey? She was as interesting as pocket lint. Lena does nothing to paint even a smidgen of an interesting picture of her. It feels like the wlw was just out there to draw in the queers (and damnit y'all know lesbians will read/watch anything with lesbians! Good or bad!)

Lena, the MC, was the most unlikable amd inconsistent narrator I've ever had to sit through. She hates rich people, enough to be willing and ready to poison them, but Audrey gets a pass because...woman pretty? Woman hot? Where did that self righteousness go, Lena? If anything, Audrey is just as much a spoiled rich brat (if not more than) as Jonathan, but with even less personality.

I did feel bad for Jonathan, (because yeah, he really is the loser of his parents' game that he didn't even know he was playing) but not enough to be worried when he tried to end himself. Honestly, would have probably been for the best if he did. Unfortunately, he lives and nothing has any emotional weight. Like, was I supposed to feel bad for the unnamed rich people and Martin for dying? I didn't even care who did it, and honestly, the book seemed like it didn't want me to care because it sure swept all of that under the rug.

You're telling me these 24 year olds are living in the age of social media and none of them have a personality they've curated from memes and strangers' mood boards?

And I'm still scratching my head as to why this is subtitled "a gothic novel" other than for book cover aesthetics.

The end was drawn out way too long and yet wrapped up like a parent who forgot to put out "Santa's gifts" on Christmas morning: hasty and unremarkable.

Overall, did not live up to expectations, which were low to begin with. But I'm a lesbian, so I read it.

Repetitive and dull

DNF. I can’t make myself wade through any more of the lead character’s endless internal guilt/lust monologues as the thin story plays itself out. Barely enough plot here for a short story.