The Meadow and the Misread is about the intersection of memory and self, the way language is used to compartmentalize the whole pulsing blur of experience into distinct parts, and how the boundary between interior and exterior—self and other—is an illusion of memory and language. It also poses a question about agency, namely whether we can act upon the world, or if it only seems that way because we are stuck inside ourselves. In other words: Do we happen? Or does everything happen to us? Perhaps, by some reading, this is X Parke's central obstacle; she is grappling with the problem of self, of where she ends and the rest of the universe begins. She is wrestling with the perimeters of the present by investigating the parameters of the past. Or vice versa. She is parsing the blur of experience for footholds the only way she knows how: by naming its parts. She is unsure if she is acting upon the world, or if she is being acted upon.
Max Halper is the author of the novella, Lamella, and numerous short fictions. He lives in upstate New York.
"For Max Halper, consciousness is like a nest of snakes, and The Meadow and the Misread is determined to find what's at its center. It is a relentless, menacing, sometimes funny and always pyrotechnic book, one that won't let its reader escape until its dark spell has been irreversibly cast." - David Hollander
"The entirety of The Meadow and the Misread is the moment on a hike when you realize you're lost, and all of sudden the sounds you thought you knew, the softness of ancient moss, the teetering weight of branches pliéing above you—all becomes unfamiliar, and for the first time you're scared, excited, and certain: the only thing you want to do is keep going. And so you do—further into Halper's poetic world of frightening fiction. Unusual and gorgeous. A buoyant reminder that reading is an art and an immeasurable joy." - Basie Allen
"In his stunning debut novel, Halper balances heady prose, deep intellectual rumination, and a compelling and heartfelt protagonist with insight and finesse. Equal parts adventure story, coming of age tale and philosophical treatise, this book will leave you pondering its intricacies and, perhaps, even the very definition of reality long after you finish the last page." - Serrana Gay
