The Department of Speculation was not a relaxing read. It's not a book you should expect to be calming to read, or even remotely reassuring. It's not. It makes you think about everything from that itch you had yesterday behind your right ear to whether or not you still love your significant other. A book filled with symbolism, none of the characters were named. Only referred to as "the wife", "the husband", "the daughter", etc., or told from the wife's perspective. A truly thought provoking read.
"The invention of the ship is also the invention of the shipwreck."