Evanston author Sara Levine, in conversation with Rebecca Makkai

Join us for what's bound to be a terrific literary conversation!

This program is sponsored by RoundTable Reads, the 's book discussion series. The event is free and open to the public, but tickets are required, and seating is limited. Limit of two tickets per person. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m.

A book signing will take place after the event, with copies of both authors’ books available onsite for purchase before and after the program, courtesy of Booked, an independent bookstore in Evanston.

This program is presented with the generous assistance of Community Sponsors, Evanston Community Foundation and Nichols Concert Hall, and Community Partners, Booked and the City of Evanston.

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About the book

The Hitch is Levine’s second novel and has received numerous accolades since its publication in January. The book, an absurdist comedy, follows a woman as she tries to exorcise the spirit of a dead corgi from her six-year-old nephew, who she is babysitting while his parents are on vacation. Full of heart, the story covers various aspects of the human experience, including loneliness, longing, family, relationships, boundaries, and unconditional love.

Praise for The Hitch

• Editors' Pick
• Best Book of the Month
• Book of the Day

“Levine... is an unusual talent. Her commitment to boinging around the loopy little world she’s built is total. Only a killjoy would refuse to join her." —

"The novel is simultaneously absurd and deeply moving, wise and absolutely, side-splittingly uproarious . . . A novel that seems destined to become a cult classic.”— , starred review

“[A] boisterously comic novel that is also a moving study of loneliness and learning boundaries . . . The Hitch could have been resolved in a dozen different ways, but Levine finds a path that is both believable and emotionally satisfying, rather than overly neat or feel-good . . . This novel isn’t a simple, fun ride but an unpredictable and rewarding journey that will have readers thinking about their own relationships, assumptions and limitations.”— , starred review

About Sara Levine

Sara Levine also is the author of the novel Treasure Island!!! and the short story collection Short Dark Oracles. She holds a Ph.D. in English from Brown University and teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago.

About Rebecca Makkai

Rebecca Makkai is the author of the New York Times bestselling I Have Some Questions For You as well as four other works of fiction. Her novel, The Great Believers, one of the New York Times’ Best Books of the 21st Century, was a finalist for both the 2019 Pulitzer Prize and the 2018 National Book Award. The book also won the American Library Association Carnegie Medal and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize among other honors.

A 2022 Guggenheim Fellow, Makkai teaches graduate fiction writing at Middlebury College, Northwestern University, and the Bennington Writing Seminars. She is artistic director of StoryStudio Chicago, a nonprofit literary arts organization and community writing center and has been called “one of the lynchpins of Chicago’s literary community.”