LARB Book Club Discussion: “Molly” by Blake Butler

Join LARB staff and members in conversation about the latest Book Club pick, Blake Butler’s Molly! The conversation will take place on April 24 at 7 p.m. on Zoom. Register for the discussion here. If you have questions or thoughts about the book you want to address during the discussion, please submit them here before April 24.

All members are invited to join us and purchase a copy of Molly at a bookstore near you. Visit the Reckless Reader page to see if your local store is a participating member and offering 10% off. If you are not a member, please upgrade or join to access member-only perks, like the LARB classic tote, a subscription to our signature print magazine, conversations with LARB editors and members, and more.

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Blake Butler and Molly Brodak instantly connected, fell in love, married, and built a life together. Both writers with deep roots in contemporary American literature, their union was an iconic joining of forces between two major and beloved talents.

Nearly three years into their marriage, grappling with mental illness and a lifetime of trauma, Molly took her own life. In the days and weeks after Molly’s death, Blake discovered shocking secrets she had held back from the world, fundamentally altering his view of their relationship and who she was.

A masterpiece of autobiography, Molly is a riveting journey into the darkest and most unthinkable parts of the human heart, emerging with a hard-won, unsurpassedly beautiful understanding that expands the possibilities of language to comprehend and express true love.

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Blake Butler is the author of nine book-length works, recently including Alice Knott (Riverhead) and Aannex (Apocalypse Party), as well as the nonfictional Nothing: A Portrait of Insomnia (Harper Perennial). His short fiction, interviews, reviews, and essays have appeared widely, including in The Believer, The New York Times, Bomb, Bookforum, and as an ongoing column at Vice. He recently began blogging on Substack at Dividual.