A Partial History of Lost Causes

A Novel

By: Jennifer duBois

Narrated by: Kathe Mazur, Stephen Hoye

FINALIST FOR THE PEN/HEMINGWAY PRIZE FOR DEBUT FICTION

In Jennifer duBois’s mesmerizing and exquisitely rendered debut novel, a long-lost letter links two disparate characters, each searching for meaning against seemingly insurmountable odds. With uncommon perception and wit, duBois explores the power of memory, the depths of human courage, and the endurance of love.

NAMED BY THE NATIONAL BOOK FOUNDATION AS A 5 UNDER 35 AUTHOR • WINNER OF THE CALIFORNIA BOOK AWARD GOLD MEDAL FOR FIRST FICTION • WINNER OF THE NORTHERN CALIFORNIA BOOK AWARD FOR FICTION • NAMED ONE OF THE TEN BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY O: THE OPRAH MAGAZINE

“Astonishingly beautiful and brainy . . . [a] stunning novel.”—O: The Oprah Magazine

“I can’t remember reading another novel—at least not recently—that’s both incredibly intelligent and also emotionally engaging.”—Nancy Pearl, NPR

In St. Petersburg, Russia, world chess champion Aleksandr Bezetov begins a quixotic quest: He launches a dissident presidential campaign against Vladimir Putin. He knows he will not win—and that he is risking his life in the process—but a deeper conviction propels him forward.

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, thirty-year-old English lecturer Irina Ellison struggles for a sense of purpose. Irina is certain she has inherited Huntington’s disease—the same cruel illness that ended her father’s life. When Irina finds an old, photocopied letter her father wrote to the young Aleksandr Bezetov, she makes a fateful decision. Her father asked the chess prodigy a profound question—How does one proceed in a lost cause?—but never received an adequate reply. Leaving everything behind, Irina travels to Russia to find Bezetov and get an answer for her father, and for herself.

NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY Salon • BookPage

Praise for A Partial History of Lost Causes

“A thrilling debut . . . [Jennifer] DuBois writes with haunting richness and fierce intelligence. . . . Full of bravado, insight, and clarity.”—Elle

“DuBois is precise and unsentimental. . . . She moves with a magician’s control between points of view, continents, histories, and sympathies.”—The New Yorker

“A real page-turner . . . a psychological thriller of great nuance and complexity.”—The Dallas Morning News

“Terrific . . . In urgent fashion, duBois deftly evokes Russia’s political and social metamorphosis over the past thirty years through the prism of this particular and moving relationship.”—Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“Hilarious and heartbreaking and a triumph of the imagination.”—Gary Shteyngart

©2012 Jennifer DuBois (P)2012 Random House

Critic reviews

"Jennifer duBois's first novel is a meticulously constructed tale of intertwining destinies. Irina, a young American facing an unbearable diagnosis, and Aleksandr, a former Soviet chess champion turned dissident politician, are brought together by a long-forgotten letter that asks how to carry on with a lost cause. Ranging from Massachusetts to Moscow and covering several decades, A Partial History of Lost Causes abounds and fascinates with dark wit and poignant insight, chess and politics, frozen rivers and neon nightclubs.” (Maggie Shipstead, Salon)

What a great book

What did you love best about A Partial History of Lost Causes?

The writing is beautiful, the story compelling.

Have you listened to any of Kathe Mazur and Stephen Hoye ???s other performances before? How does this one compare?

The narration is just right for the story. I have listened to these narrators before, and think they are always good.

Great story with complex topics!

I really think the author shone in this book. I understand it’s a first novel.

The readers for this are talented but a terrible fit for this book. They did not represent the tone of the characters. I recommend you read this book, but not the Audible version.

Many inaccuracies about Russia

I'm not sure why one would write a book based in Russia and then get so many basic details wrong. What is the point?

The story is not really there. It's a long set of self-pitying reflections.

As for narration, learn some basic Russian pronunciation. Dacha is da-cha, very easy. It's not some weird da-xha sound.