Specimen Days

Michael Cunningham

This ambitious novel weaves together three distinct stories set in New York City across different eras: the squalor of the nineteenth-century machine age, a modern city gripped by the threat of terrorism, and a visionary future where otherworldly life has arrived. Each narrative features a trio of characters who take on different roles while remaining recognisably linked in a search for meaning. It is a haunting and inventive exploration of human connection through the lens of one of America's most celebrated literary voices.