Nicholas Russell’s Book Notes music playlist for his novel Observer

In the Book Notes series, authors create and discuss a music playlist that relates in some way to their recently published book. Previous contributors include Jesmyn Ward, Lauren Groff, Bret Easton Ellis, Celeste Ng, T.C. Boyle, Dana Spiotta, Hanif Abdurraqib, Andrew Sean Greer, Roxane Gay, and many others. Nicholas Russell richly evokes the haunting Nevada desert in his debut novel Observer. Lincoln Michel wrote of the book: “In Observer, Nicholas Russell makes the sun-scorched, desiccated West as haunting as any gloomy Gothic manor on the misty moors. The prose is equal parts page-turning and lyrical, and the plot a satisfying combination of science-fiction mysteries, family drama, and unfathomable horrors. A thrilling and chilling debut.” In his own words, here is Nicholas Russell’s Book Notes music playlist for his debut novel Observer: I wrote Observer over the course of several years but turned to music most in the last six months, after the book was sold and I was on a firm…