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Kit Mayquist

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Tripping Arcadia: A Gothic Novel Kindle Edition

by Kit Mayquist (Author) Format: Kindle Edition

3.8 136 ratings

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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 read for fans of Mexican Gothic, Tripping Arcadia is a page-turning 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.

Print length

364 pages
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English
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Publisher

Dutton
Publication date

February 22, 2022
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for Tripping Arcadia

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 glamour 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

“A gripping, atmospheric read full of characters that will haunt your mind long after the book is finished. This novel seamlessly blends antique gothic sensibilities with burning modern questions of class, money, and status, all wrapped up in poisonously elegant prose.”
—S. T. Gibson, author of A Dowry of Blood

“Mayquist embraces the gothic genre with delicious glee, peeling back a shimmery overlay of glamour to expose the rot beneath. With Tripping Arcadia, he has crafted a tale that thrums with eat-the-rich vibes and the exhilarating prospect of a have-not prevailing over the have-everythings. Its reckoning with the state of work in a capitalist society will energize readers, and they’ll be rooting for the flawed yet captivating Lena through every creative twist and dark detail.”
—BookPage

“All I have ever wanted is a revival of the romantic gothic thriller, and thanks to the incredible success of Silvia Moreno-Garcia’s Mexican Gothic, I may have finally gotten my wish. 2022 is replete with creepy tales of degenerate families in crumbling manors, and Mayquist’s is one of the most promising of the lot.”
—BookPage, “2022 Preview: Most Anticipated Mystery & Suspense”

"Without plot spoiling, let’s just say Mayquist’s novel is Gothic, sure, but also has undercurrents of romance and revenge that make it downright unputdownable."
—Book Riot

“[A] salacious tale of family drama, corporate dealings, dangerous secrets, and poison . . . A twenty-first-century gothic with a fascinating botanical frame and an escalating sense of dread that will be savored by fans of Mexican Gothic, by Silvia Moreno-Garcia; Now You’re One of Us, by Asa Nonami; and Creatures of Will and Temper, by Molly Tanzer.”
—Library Journal

“I have never read a book like this before. It is at once dark, deep, and opulent. . . . The ending is surprising with a twist I did not see coming. It is almost impossible to believe that this is Kit Mayquist’s debut novel. I can’t wait to see what he writes next.”
—Mystery & Suspense Magazine

About the Author

A fan of everything spooky and indulgent, Kit Mayquist is a bisexual, trans masculine writer who can be found in the historic shadows of Boston, Massachusetts, hunched over his desk with a sullen Persian cat in his lap and surrounded by antiques. He has an MA in medieval history from the University of Iceland and a BA from Portland State University (and if you ask him, yes, Stumptown will always have the best coffee).

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1

The scent of death is sweet. A cologne of something chilling and saccharine—like spoiled figs, and honey, and mud. I know this because all my memories of Arrow’s Edge will be forever tainted with it. A miasma left to drift into the psyche late at night, when I’m driving, or walking, or given more than a second alone. When the frost begins to gather on windows and the sign of a New Year creeps in with all its flashing glory, that scent with its unique and terrible power consumes every part of me, until the very thought of each gilded room and once-polished floor is stained with it as much as the wallpaper still sits forever stained with their blood.

Months of my life can now be boiled down into these simple impressions: Wineglasses in hands and heels on marble. Herbs and the rise of steam from beakers. Perfume and grinning lips. A clink. A cut. A whisper. Each of them accurate but each of them simple, dreamlike things far prettier and far more poetic than the full reality. If that’s not what the mind is good for—to repaint and repossess every small horror of our lives—then perhaps it’s the heart’s doing. After all, it was my heart, as much as my hand, that led to their deaths.

It happened quickly, hitting the newsstands like whiplash: the fateful downfall of the Verdeau family and their empire. None of the tabloids ever managed to come close to the truth. Even if they tried—and some did try—they never stood a chance. Yet as I sit here now, almost a decade since I first came into their lives, there is not an ounce of marrow remaining in my bones absent of the details. While an indulgent game transpired between private rooms in Boston and the now-cobwebbed walls of Arrow’s Edge, a series of poisons took their toll, and of the hands that crafted them, one is the very same that attempts to write this now.

I guess some might call this a confession.

There was nothing sweet in the air as I stepped off the train and walked down the tree-lined street in Boston’s historic neighborhood of Back Bay. Not then anyway. Not that day. Autumn was still weeks away, yet the air was crisp and clean. Verdant, from the grass along the Charles River being freshly cut. But if there is to be any starting point for all this, then it was there, my heels covered in pollen, a gentle breeze in the curls of my hair, and the New England sun beating down on my face in a way that felt familiar and yet oddly foreign.

I had recently returned from living with my aunt in Italy and after two long years away had just set my suitcases down in the living room of my childhood home when my father handed me the want-ads page of the newspaper. Unemployment checks, he had explained to me over the phone the week before my flight, weren’t enough to cover the family anymore.The tired look in his bloodshot eyes the day of my arrival convinced me that he hadn’t been exaggerating. Something in him had changed in my absence, and the piles of pain meds and constant phonecalls from the debtors told me I had no choice. In my parents’ eyes, my vacation was over. Responsibility was calling, and anyone in the family who was old enough to work was expected to do their share.

Six months prior my father had been cut from the payroll at his job. No notice given and, to my knowledge, no clue that it was coming either. If there had been, his pride wouldn’t have let him say. His pride, as it were, had also prevented him from sending an e‑mail to let me know. At least until the meager savings we had as a family ran out.

The situation had made him and my mother more sour and resentful of my time abroad in the first place, a fact that made my homecoming less enjoyable by the second and made me yearn for the chance to return to my aunt’s side and back to a semblance of peace.

My aunt, Clare Ricchetti, was well known in the academic world so long as you studied botany or medieval history. Which, admittedly, not many people do. She was the most successful in her field out of any of us—another thing, I think, my parents resented. My mother especially, considering that Clare was her sister.

By the age of thirty-five, Aunt Clare had a fully established research garden outside a small village near Montefalco in Umbria, specializing in the reconstruction of medieval apothecary blends and once-lost strains of herbs. It was a tremendously useful garden niche as it was, and as a result of this specialty she frequently sold remedies to homeopathic companies and pharmacies alongside hosting Ph.D. candidates from illustrious places like Cambridge and Yale. She was always busy, tending to plants and doing interviews for documentaries in front of the lush greenery and fervent hum of bumblebees. She lived there, away from everything, in her beige dresses and lab coat, looking part scientist, part witch, and I loved her immensely for it. I also, I think, saw myself in her, and she in me.

I was a twenty-two-year-old mess of a med-school dropout when she offered me an internship. A girl doing her best to claw herself up from feelings of failure as I arrived on her doorstep, my ego bruised and fingers nervously clutching my suitcase. Saying I was a dropout isn’t entirely true, though. I only considered myself one. That’s what happens when you elect to defer your second year of med school due to burnout and a declining GPA. When you stare at the quickly accumulating debt and can’t convince yourself you’ll ever pay it off, so why bother getting more?

Europe in those days was far enough away from the disappointment of my life to seem like the best option. It was romantic, pastoral, and still close enough to family to be viable, thanks to Aunt Clare. Italy was a place my heart had always yearned to travel to after teenage years filled with falling asleep to documentaries on the Borgias or dreaming of scenic tours through Tuscany, but finances had never allowed me the chance to visit. Family vacations never happened beyond the continental United States, if beyond the Massachusetts border at all, and so I couldn’t say no when she offered. Plus, while it wasn’t much, it paid, saving me from suffering in a customer-service job while I tried to get my act together.

The sunrise every morning was misty and picturesque, filled with a pink-and-orange glow that I will never forget. At night the stars were brighter than I had ever seen and more numerous than my years growing up in Boston had led me to believe was even possible. It had been a slice of heaven and a time where my passion for medicine had only just begun to grow again. A sapling of a thing, bruised yet lovingly tended to in her care.

But family had beckoned me home. So I sat there, jet-lagged, over a dinner of chicken and boxed mashed potatoes as my father explained to me once more the details about the cutbacks at Ellerhart, a culling that followed the company’s purchase by some massive conglomerate eager to downsize. That, combined with a back injury from a fall he had neglected to mention to me before, made it difficult for him to find employment, and a series of medical bills without insurance to cover them meant that there was only one choice: I had to get a job as soon as possible, in the worst economy in decades.

And so it came to be that not a month later I found myself hovering at the door of an ornate brownstone in Back Bay. My coffee had been chugged, and I had paced the street for a good ten minutes while popping gum stick after gum stick into my mouth in hopes of not smelling like cookie dough, or coconut, or whatever obnoxiously sweet syrup I had chosen to load it up with in a fit of nerves the hour prior.

My nerves were not any better.

Caffeine had a poor track record with that.

I stood there surrounded by brick and greenery and glistening sports cars, with three minutes until my first official interview after weeks of applications.Then I took a breath, spit my gum into the bushes, and knocked.

Ten seconds passed, maybe twenty, before the door opened with a slow and dramatic creak.

“Yes?” a voice asked. The disdain was unimaginably thick.

My back straightened as I tried to hand over my résumé.

“I have an appointment. Lena. Helena,” I corrected. “Gereghty? It’sfor two-thirty.”

The old man looked at the paper for a second and then sighed.

“Mr. Verdeau is not well. All appointments have been canceled for the day.”

My outstretched hand dipped a little in disappointment. “Not feeling well? What’s wrong?”

Again I received a look of annoyance.

“I’m not at liberty to discuss.”

“Well, where’s his physician?”

“Tending to him. Look, Miss Gor—”

“Gereghty,” I said. “Like clarity.”

“Miss Gereghty, I’m sure you came a long way.” His sagging face tilted down as he peered at my outfit. As if somehow a man in his sixth or seventh decade could detect my zip code from the thread count of my shirt.“But perhaps we should reschedule.”

The butler’s eyes looked away from the transit card sticking out of my pocket and back to the freshly printed résumé in my hand.

“If your phone number is on that, then I can have Mr. Verdeau callyou for rescheduling when his health has improved.”

No.

It was the only thought running through my head at the time. Rentwas due in a week and a half. It was this or nothing.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B095MN1CP9
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Dutton (February 22, 2022)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ February 22, 2022
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 4092 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
Print length ‏ : ‎ 364 pages

Best Sellers Rank: #741,808 in Kindle Store (See Top 100 in Kindle Store)
- #2,840 in Gothic Fiction
- #7,467 in Psychological Thrillers (Kindle Store)
- #15,297 in Psychological Thrillers (Books)

Customer Reviews:
3.8 136 ratings

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REB

A rich, classic narrative in a modern world!

Reviewed in the United States on October 11, 2023

This novel is a brilliant tale of dark family secrets, revenge, and romance (and a dash of medieval botany)! I could barely put this book down as I tried to figure out how it was going to end, at first the introduction of the novel hooks you in and makes you think you know how it's all going to go but by the end you're questioning so much and trying not to wake the person in the plane seat next to you because you need to talk about what you're reading.

Helpful

Alix Maza

A gothic Great Gatsby

Reviewed in the United States on December 2, 2023

The Great Gatsby turned gothic, mysterious and downright dark. TRIPPING ARCADIA has all the hallmarks I love in thrillers: family secrets, rich people acting (VERY) badly and revenge. Great potential, but also falls a little flat in the execution.

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Jessica

Could have been executed better

Reviewed in the United States on March 25, 2022

I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (Dutton Books) for promotional purposes.

This book had such a great premise. I love gothic novels, however, the execution could have been better.

The book started off strong. As soon as the main character, Lena, started working for the mysterious Verdeau family, I was intrigued and was excited to see where the story would go. The book held steady until the last 1/3. The story seemed to be losing its momentum by that point, like it didn’t quite know where it should go. By the end, I felt let down. I was expecting a big reveal or twist but nothing shocked me or made me have an “aha” moment.

One thing I did like about the book were the supporting characters of the Verdeau siblings, Audrey and Jonathan. They were both fascinating characters with well developed character arcs. Audrey was stuck in the middle trying to balance what she wanted versus what her dad wanted, while Jonathan was such a melancholy and tragic character who was obsessed with death. Their separate relationships with Lena was also interesting to see unfold. They each had such different relationships with Lena. It made for a nice juxtaposition.

The author’s writing style worked with the overall vibe of the book (gothic with a touch of dark academia), although it could be a little wordy at times.

As a whole, the plot itself was on the weak side, but the strong supporting characters helped the story. If you’re into gothic novels or stories about poison (this book is all about poison), then I would still say to give the book a shot! It might work for you.

One person found this helpful

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modest hiccup

Queer Gothic Thriller

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2022

Tripping Arcadia grabbed my attention with “queer Gothic thriller” description (and that cover) and held me until the final paragraph. Filled with decadence that hides a dark underbelly, rich (literally and descriptively) characters, and an MC wrapped in shades of morally grey, this book was well-worth staying up well past my bedtime to devour.

Lena returns to her childhood home after a stint learning at the side of her plant-loving (and deciphering) Aunt in Italy to find things are…not great. Her parents are struggling to make rent after the abrupt end of her father’s career and her life is certainly not what she’d set out to make it. Lena finds a job as an assistant to the family physician of Verdeau family – only the job is about more than dispensing the occasional asprin. Lena is drawn into uncovering the truth behind the aliments that plague Jonathan (the heir to the riches of the Verdeau empire) just as deeply as she’s drawn to the allure of his sister, Aubrey.

The Verdeau’s are decadently wealthy and use their chokehold on the people around them to host lavish parties (really more like bachannalias) at their sequestered estate in New England. Lena soon finds her job is about saving the attendees of these parties (and her employers) from the press and after effects of the parties that would put Jay Gatsby’s to shame. With every late-night and stolen conversation with Aubrey, Lena is pulled into a world closer than her paycheck-to-paycheck life we would expect.

I have been trying to find books that fill the Mexican Gothic shaped hole in reading life and this has the same vibes. Tripping Arcadia has my favorite “there’s something rotten under this finery” feel and the atmospheric descriptions and prose to keep you in a constant state of worry and wonder. Kit Mayquist has already mastered the art of the slow-burn when it comes to revealing the secrets Lena and the Verdeaus are trying to protect. Lena, Aubrey, and Jonathan are complex characters with elegantly crafted flaws that seem to make me (sometimes begrudgingly) empathize with the worst behavior.

This book would be a perfect pick for those looking for a modern take on the traditional outsider-gets-caught-in-old-money-family’s-web that includes phenomenal queer representation, dark and moody vibes, and a jaw-dropping and instantly re-readable finale.

Thank you to NetGalley and Penguin Group Dutton for the ARC of Tripping Arcadia in exchange for an honest review – this is a must buy for me!

Helpful

Nancy Famolari

A Luscious Modern Gothic

Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2022

Lena Gereghty, a medical school dropout, returns to New York and her family after spending two wonderful years in Italy with her aunt, a medieval botanist. Lena’s family is on the verge of bankruptcy because of her father’s accident after being laid off. She must immediately got a job to cover not only her student loans, but to help the family survive.

Lena lands a job with the Verdeaux family, one of the richest in the city. Her duties involve being assistant to the family physician whose main job is to care for the sickly son, Jonathan, who also drinks copious amounts of red wine. She begins to suspect that things are not what they seem. Jonathan takes small black pills that look suspicious. There’s also Jonathan’s intriguing sister, who manages to distance herself from many of the goings-on in the mansion. Then there are the exotic parties at the family’s estate which show a dark side of the family and their friends.

If you enjoy dark, rather creepy Gothic set against a luxurious background, this is your book. The setting drips with wealth, over-the-top parties, and mystery. I thought the author did an excellent job creating the atmosphere.

The characters are not as well drawn as I would have liked. Lena is naive. She moves from courageously asserting herself get the job, to falling back into poor decisions. I thought her mother was a caricature. However, the story is plot driven and enough happens that you don’t get too involved with the characters. It’s a good read if you enjoy the genre.

I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.

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Wen

Could of been good but poor execution

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 5, 2022

Verified Purchase

I really wanted to like this.. (the title alone deeply
Intrigued me) but it was so underwhelming and the story didn’t flow well at all. The point of the story I understand how the rich can take advantage of the poor simply because they are rich and feel it’s their right to do so. Also that sexist archaic view that women can’t inherit businesses in their family simply because they are a women. Also about the superficial ploy of keeping up appearances & reputation. These themes have the making of a good thriller that strips back the mechanisms of different classes in society but the execution was dreadful & chaotic. If the lack of coherent plot wasn’t bad enough the story also lacked atmosphere & suspense. I also didn’t see this as gothic…

Both families had awful relationships both didn’t sit well with me or the story for that matter. I want to focus on the main characters in my review. Her mother in short was a b!tch.. a 20 year old comes home to find a job to help support her family & yet her mother sees her as immature … it becomes very clear the main characters mother knows exactly what happens at these parties her daughter works at but she doesn’t seem to care or even warn her daughter or tell her to get another job one that doesn’t endanger her child.. there’s even a point when she doesn’t go home for a couple days & this doesn’t concern her mother.. also her dad was just as bad. It felt like there should of being a loving family vibe considering the daughter is literally supporting her family.. but maybe the point was to show an unhealthy family?

The main character I did find very annoying & just dense… I’ve heard people say there’s a sapphic romance. Where!? What I read was not a romance it was just a stupid infatuation. These characters had no chemistry nor do they speak any words to one another in the beginning but the MC is immediately infatuated & holds this character in high regard & ignoring her faults too. Sorry but me and my glass of water have more chemistry. Everything between these two characters is just forced .. there’s no depth. To me they had a very loose friendship. Audrey as a character had so much more potential. Overall I found the characters very flat.

Lastly I found the synopsis slightly misleading. I didn’t find the job interview ‘bizarre’ unconventional but not bizarre. The Job description not so vague either…. The plot on the synopsis pretty much faded in the first half & then just went onto something else not even mentioned. Honestly in my opinion the synopsis just bigs up the book to much.

One thing I did like about this book was more so at the beginning the authors prose. The author had a way of saying things that were sometimes ambiguous or just a slightly more complex way of saying something. There was also some nice quotations too.

These are just my personal opinions & what I didn’t like others might like. From what I see this book is very half & half.

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