The Causative Factor
- Winner of the Petrichor Prize
"A gripping, unusual romance fueled by an ongoing mystery." Kirkus Reviews
When Rachel and Rubiat meet in art school, they become inseparable, both of them surprised by their intense mutual passion.
That passion is soon tested when Rubiat gives in to a reckless, self-destructive impulse that sets him adrift and unaccounted for—disappeared. Rachel manages to resume her life and her studies, uncertain whether he's alive or dead.
After graduation, she moves to New York, where she begins a career as a painter and supports herself teaching English language classes to immigrants. When romance with another man blossoms and things get serious, Rachel finds she's too haunted by the mystery of her former lover's fate to simply let go of him and move on. She has to know.
Told in shifting points of view, The Causative Factor explores the power of art, love, and the complexities of human nature.
Praise for The Causative Factor
“With powerful writing, this novel delves into the two primary characters’ underlying motives and conflicts. They are both fully alive, complex, and sympathetic human beings.” Story Circle (Full review)
"The Causative Factor is a beautifully written look at the psychological factors that shape us into the people we ultimately become... a troubling love story about lingering pain and what it means to find peace after a traumatic experience." The Indypendent (Full review)
"Suspenseful, original, and full of heart." Andrea Barrett National Book Award winner & author of Natural History
"I couldn't stop turning the pages...A spellbinding novel." Margot Livesey Author of The Boy in the Field & The Road from Belhaven
"Haunting, stirring, and bracingly romantic, this is a novel to fall head over heels for." Liam Callanan Author of When in Rome
"Megan Staffel writes as gorgeously and movingly about the psychological legacies that inform our choices as she does about the way in which art and a deep attunement to nature allows us to create ourselves anew." Marisa Silver Author of The Mysteries
"Staffel deftly weaves a startling, artful story of how to make a life." Tara Deal Author of Life/Insurance
"Megan Staffel's The Causative Factor is a singular, exquisitely written story of love sundered by circumstance and misunderstanding." Peter Selgin Author of A Boy's Guide to Outer Space