Brief
Bonnie Garmus releases screwball novel Peck & Peck
The author’s new book returns to a screwball tone, shifting from a 1960s science‑lab heroine to a 1980s publishing world.
By Felo News Desk · Published
Bonnie Garmus, the 65‑year‑old author of the 2022 bestseller Lessons in Chemistry, has published her second novel, Peck & Peck, according to a review by the Sydney Morning Herald on 21 October 2026.
What happened
The novel opens with the male protagonist, Batter, in prison. The narrative then traces his family background, his bluffing entry into the New York‑based poetry quarterly Peck & Peck, and the ensuing clash between business and the arts in the 1980s. The publishing house, described as an "esteemed poetry quarterly boasting an editorial staff of 39," is run by Salton Peck after a falling‑out with his twin brother Declonius.
What the reports add
The review notes that, unlike the third‑person perspective of Lessons in Chemistry, Peck & Peck is narrated from Batter’s first‑person point of view, allowing readers to hear his desire “to generate the one thing (he) craved more than anything: respect.” It also highlights the novel’s homage to 1930s‑1940s screwball comedies such as Bringing Up Baby and The Major and the Minor, and the recurring role of dogs – this time through Batter’s backstory rather than a present character.
What was said
The review quotes Garmus describing the book’s setting as “the 1980s, as the timeworn struggle between business and the arts rears its ornery head once more inside the eponymous publishing company and against a background of technological change.” It also cites the author’s observation that “while Batter is well‑armed for his encounters with the world – he has a lot of data on tap, much of it gleaned from his type‑designer mother and historian father – there’s much about it that he doesn’t understand.”
How it came about
Garmus’ debut novel, set in the 1960s, used a third‑person lens to explore a female scientist’s fight against a patriarchal system. The new work shifts both era and gender, moving to a male narrator in the 1980s publishing world, while retaining the screwball spirit that defined her first book. The review links this thematic continuity to Garmus’ earlier focus on workplace pressures and the clash of art and commerce.
Key facts
- Bonnie Garmus released her second novel, Peck & Peck, on 21 October 2026. (smh.com.au)
- The novel follows male narrator Batter, who starts the story in prison. (smh.com.au)
- Peck & Peck is set in a New York poetry quarterly run by Salton Peck after a dispute with his twin brother Declonius. (smh.com.au)
- The book shifts from the third‑person perspective of Lessons in Chemistry to a first‑person narrative. (smh.com.au)
- Garmus describes the novel’s tone as a screwball homage to 1930s‑1940s Hollywood comedies. (smh.com.au)
Sources
- [1] smh.com.au — originally reported as “Bonnie Garmus new book: Everything you need to know about Peck & Peck from the author of Lessons in Chemistry”
