About Marie

Marie grew up in Illinois as the eldest of four children and attended the University of Iowa. After living in Moscow and Prague, she went to Harvard University and received a Ph.D. in English Literature, specializing in Shakespeare.

On fellowship at the Institute of Historical Research at the University of London during her final year of graduate school, Marie had the idea for her first novel, The Cabinet of Wonders. Upon graduating, she taught in Harvard’s English Department and the History and Literature Department. She has been a professor of English at Brooklyn College since 2007.

Marie is a New York Times bestseller. Her work has been named, among other recognitions, as an Amazon Best Book of the Year, a Kirkus Best Teen Book of the Year, a Bank Street Book of the Year, a People Book of the Week, and she has been a finalist for several state awards, such as the Texas Bluebonnet Award. Her most recent novel, Real Easy, was a New York Times Best Crime Novel of 2022. Her short stories and essays have been published in places like The Harvard Review, Salon, and academic journals.

Marie lives in Brooklyn with her family. She is an avid rock climber and gardener. Her favorite things are flower catalogues and homemade ice cream.