Co-presented with The Stranger, and in association with the Sorrento Hotel. Eight years after winning high praise and numerous accolades—including finalist nominations for both the National Book Award and Pulitzer Prize—with his debut book of stories, You Are Not a Stranger Here, Adam Haslett visits with a much-anticipated first novel that is also garnering applause. However many years it's been in the works, Union Atlantic (Nan A. Talese/Doubleday) feels it could have been conjured from the past year or two's headlines. Much goes on in this intense, artfully condensed novel. This evening should be an especial pleasure as it will feature The Stranger's Christopher Frizzelle in conversation, as part of the program. All of this in a lovely, tasteful setting. "Adam Haslett's page-turner of a debut novel ranges brilliantly from the Strait of Hormuz to the outskirts of Boston to the belly of the financial beast—New York's Federal Reserve. It explains to me, with humor and style and generosity, how we became America in the year 2009. A must read." – Gary Shteyngart. "Adam Haslett has the rarest of talents: the ability to combine a powerful intelligence with storytelling that is both elegant and suspenseful, and to break your heart in the process. Union Atlantic is a masterful portrait of our age." – Malcolm Gladwell. Free admission. The Penthouse of the Sorrento Hotel is at 900 Madison Street on Seattle's First Hill. For more information on this evening, please call Elliott Bay at (206) 624-6600.