Suddenly things are falling apart in Matthew Goldsmith's life. He's an up-and-coming young architect, with a wife he loves and a business partner who's also his best friend. But too many nights, lately, Matthew walks his neighborhood, unable to sleep-and with no idea that he's observed by George Hooper, an elderly amateur scientist whose loneliness and unfettered curiosity will lead him far outside the ethical bounds. One night when Matthew returns home he hears a noise in the attic crawl space that lies beside his bedroom. Somehow his wife, asleep beside him, doesn't hear it-then or later. George Hooper has begun an experiment that will upend several lives in addition to Matthew's, and cause him and those around him to question his sanity-all while driving him inexorably toward the tormentor who yearns for his companionship. Who--or what-George Hooper is lies at the heart of this story of love, loss, and obsession. Hypnotic, inventive, and original, The Nature of Things is a compelling examination of the fever dream that descends when reality collides with imagination and memory.