The Literary Quartet for the End of Time

In 1932 when the Bonus Army of veterans rioted in Washington, Alden Kelly who is sympathetic to their cause agrees to carry a bomb but is caught. His sister, Sutton, pressured by their father, a congressman, and trying to protect her brother accuses Kansas veteran Arthur Sinclair of being behind the bomb instead of her brother. Arthur is innocent but he doesn’t have the power to fight and disappears.

This act of treachery will follow Alden, Sutton, and Arthur’s son Douglas for the rest of their lives as her fateful decision affects them in unexpected ways in Quartet for the End of Time an ambitious new novel by Johanna Skibsrud. This novel is inspired by the musical piece Quartet for the End of Time by Olivier Messiaen, which was first performed 1941 in a prisoner of war camp in Germany. The piece is known for its unusual use of rhythms and time and Skibsrud tries to mirror the musical piece’s structure and movement.