Edan Lepucki’s debut novel, California, follows a young couple as they leave an apocalyptic Los Angeles for the wilderness to try to make it, away from what’s left of society.
It’s a book that deals with, obviously, escape. But also survival, family, camaraderie (or not), and grace under fire.
Lepucki’s book has already gotten lots of attention with a little help from an unlikely champion, the comedian and TV host Stephen Colbert.
Because they have the same publisher, Hachette, Colbert enlisted his fans to help undermine Amazon’s decision to stop allowing pre-orders for books published by Hachette.
Lepucki used to work at Skylight Books in Los Feliz, where she had a screening this week. She stopped by KCRW to speak with Steve Chiotakis about her new book, and the surprise attention it’s received.