* Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist *One of the Best Books of 2013  ― Slate ,  Salon ,  Flavorwire ,  Largehearted Boy ,  Vol. 1 Brooklyn ,  LitReactor "To read Jeff Jackson’s Mira Corpora is to enter into a trance state. A hypnotic, brutal, and lyric exploration of youth, trauma and the construction of memory, this novel is like nothing I’ve ever read before and is, unquestionably, one of my favorite books published this year." ― Laura van den Berg, Salon Mira Corpora  is the debut novel from acclaimed playwright Jeff Jackson, an inspired, dreamlike adventure by a distinctive new talent.  Literary and inventive, but also fast-paced and gripping,  Mira Corpora  charts the journey of a young runaway. A coming-of-age story for people who hate coming-of-age stories, featuring a colony of outcast children, teenage oracles, amusement parks haunted by gibbons, mysterious cassette tapes, and a reclusive underground rockstar.  With astounding precision, Jackson weaves a moving tale of discovery and self-preservation across a startling, vibrant landscape. "One of the Books You Shouldn't Overlook in 2013" - Slate . "One of the 10 Best Debut Novels of 2013" - Flavorwire . "One of the 10 Best Novels of 2013" - Largehearted Boy ."A gutter punk Catcher in the Rye ." - Shelf Awareness ."Episodic yet suspenseful, the novel delivers both jolts to the spine and food for thought." - Bookforum ."A beautiful and intense book." - Tin House ." Mira Corpora is an astonishing piece of work. It will satisfy readers looking for both depth and entertainment." - CCLaP ."A mini-masterpiece that is as surreal and suspenseful as any fiction I have read." - Destroyer Magazine "An impressive display of narrative plate spinning in which underground rock stars, formative sensual experiences, and wild animals all intersect and disperse into new ghostly shards. The prose captures a dreamlike tone that gives the reader the experience of walking into an abandoned house of mirrors where every pane of glass is as clouded over and oddly beautiful as the next; and yet there's a forcefulness to the writing that propels the book and sinks hooks into the imagination of the reader." - The Fanzine Jeff Jackson holds an MFA from NYU and is the recipient of fellowships from the MacDowell Colony, Baryshnikov Center, and Virginia Center for the Creative Arts. His short fiction has been featured in Guernica, The Collagist, the anthology Userlands, and performed by New River Dramatists in New York and Los Angeles. Five of his plays have been produced by the Obie Award-winning Collapsable Giraffe company, including "Botanica" which was selected by New York Times as "one of the most galvanizing theater experiences of 2012."