The book is an existential quest: drawing on neuroscience, psychology, cosmology, religion, history and much more. In it, Marchant delves deep into the weeds of lived experience (mystical or otherwise) and possibly the nature of reality itself.--New Scientist, "Best New Popular Science Books of February 2026"

A survey of results and ideas in many disciplines, from physics to anthropology, seasoned with a little Buddhism and new-age thinking.... [Marchant] succeeds in presenting the vast landscape of the current discussions and the complexity of the problems.--Carlo Rovelli "Times Literary Supplement"

This is a proper safari of science: from Amazonians with no word for time, to Apollo astronauts staring at the infinite and the neuroscience of mindfulness, Jo Marchant's new book will change the way you think about the flow of time and the passing of every moment.--Kevin Fong, author of Extreme Medicine

In Search of Now is a beautifully written exploration of that most central aspect of time--the present moment. Expertly weaving together physics, philosophy, and neuroscience, Jo Marchant's book will change the way you think, and maybe the way you live too. Make time for it.--Anil Seth, author of Being You

We are intimately familiar with Now, indeed everything we experience is embedded in it. And yet it is a mystery. In this illuminating new book, Jo Marchant takes us on a marvelous personal and scientific voyage into this mystery.--Dean Buonomano, author of Your Brain is Time Machine

What could be better for the present moment than Jo Marchant's book! But I won't speak of Now in the singular as she does in her title, for the book's overpowering message is that the world is a living community of nows. I've been studying the subject in the narrow context of quantum theory for 30 years, never realizing that I lacked a general education for what I most wanted to know. Reading this book took me back to school, and I loved every minute of it!--Christopher Fuchs, chief architect of QBism

Effortlessly weaving together fascinating insights from physics, philosophy, and neuroscience, In Search of Now is an engrossing and thought-provoking exploration of the most mysterious, and most precious, of all things: our ever-changing moment-to-moment experience--Kieran Fox, author of I Am a Part of Infinity: The Spiritual Journey of Albert Einstein

In clear and engaging prose, Jo Marchant guides us through the maze that intertwines our notions of time, causality, identity, and reality--and points us in the direction of a new reframing. In Search of Now is a splendid example of the best sort of synthetic thinking and writing.--Alicia Juarrero, author of Context Changes Everything

In this profound and brilliant treatise on the nature of reality, Marchant asks the greatest question: what does it mean to exist? The answer brings a dazzling exploration of science and philosophy, from consciousness to quarks, illuminating our embodied experience within the grandeur of an unfolding unfeeling Universe. A phenomenal, wonderful, ambitious work that won't just shift your perspective but rather catapult it into another dimension--Gaia Vince, author of Nomad Century

I came to In Search of Now with high expectations, and they were happily exceeded. Fueled by the deceptively simple question 'What is Now?' Jo Marchant proves to be a captivating guide through the slippery terrain of consciousness, illuminating both the limits and potentials of the human experience. This fascinating book will leave readers wiser after every turn of the page.--Susannah Cahalan, author of Brain on Fire

A superb, illuminating book that will change the way you think about the present moment.--Claudia Hammond, author of Time Warped

Original, gripping and perspective-smashing. Jo Marchant is up there with our greatest science writers.--Will Storr, author of The Science of Storytelling

"[A] gratifying journey through the nature of time. Adventurous readers will find this stimulating and enlightening."-- "Publishers Weekly"

This ambitious and beautifully written book gestures at something truly profound: a new view of science in which 'nothing is set in stone: we have a say in what the universe is and where it goes.'-- "Kirkus Reviews"

Publisher: Liveright Publishing Corporation

Pub date: 2026-03-17

Length: 336 pages