Overview
"Mesmerizing . . . a dark fairy tale of New York, full of magic and loss, myth and mystery, love and madness."--Marlon James, author of the Dark Star trilogyNOW AN APPLE TV+ SERIES STARRING LAKEITH STANFIELD - ONE OF TIME'S 100 BEST FANTASY BOOKS OF ALL TIME Winner of an American Book Award, a Locus Award for Best Horror Novel, a British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel, a World Fantasy Award for Best Novel - Nominated for a Shirley Jackson Award, an International Dublin Literary Award, a Mythopoeic Award for Literature When Apollo Kagwa's father disappeared, he left his son a box of books and strange recurring dreams. Now Apollo is a father himself--and as he and his wife, Emma, settle into their new lives as parents, exhaustion and anxiety start to take their toll. Apollo's old dreams return and Emma begins acting odd. At first Emma seems to be exhibiting signs of postpartum depression. But before Apollo can do anything to help, Emma commits a horrific act and vanishes. Thus begins Apollo's quest to find a wife and child who are nothing like he'd imagined. His odyssey takes him to a forgotten island, a graveyard full of secrets, a forest where immigrant legends still live, and finally back to a place he thought he had lost forever. NAMED ONE OF PASTE'S BEST HORROR BOOKS OF THE DECADE - NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY The New York Times - USA Today - The New York Public Library - NPR - BuzzFeed - Kirkus Reviews - Book Riot "The thriller you won't be able to put down."--O: The Oprah Magazine "Intense, riveting . . . The story is a long, slow burn with a lingering sizzle."--Los Angeles Review of Books "A modern-day tale of terror rooted in ancient myth and folklore, brimming with magical revelation and emotional truth."--San Francisco Chronicle
Customers Also Bought
- 1
Details
- ISBN-13: 9780812985870
- ISBN-10: 0812985877
- Publisher: One World
- Publish Date: March 2018
- Dimensions: 8 x 5.25 x 1.1 inches
- Shipping Weight: 0.35 pounds
- Page Count: 464
Related Categories
Book clubs: New in paperback
Victor LaValle weaves elements of fairy tales, myth and good old-fashioned horror into his latest novel, The Changeling, a chilling tale of a shattered family. Apollo Kagwa, a rare-books dealer in New York City, is married to Emma Valentine. As new parents to a boy named Brian, they’re often tired and frazzled. But Emma’s outlook worsens—she becomes short-tempered and distant, even from Brian—and the change is a harbinger of things to come. Emma’s bleak mood culminates in a terrible, life-altering incident, after which she disappears without a trace. When Apollo crosses paths with a stranger who may know what became of Emma, he embarks on a remarkable hunt that leads him to a lonely island and a cemetery, among other spooky locales. LaValle skillfully blends genres in this unforgettable narrative of one man’s struggle to make sense of the world. Named a top book of 2017 by Time and USA Today, this haunting story stays with the reader long after the last page is turned.
THE CURTAIN RISES
Colm Tóibín’s House of Names is a masterful retelling of the ancient Greek tale of the House of Atreus, which was brought to life in the plays of Euripides, Aeschylus and Sophocles. Taking a cue from the work of those dramatists, Tóibín’s novel follows Clytemnestra, who, with the help of her lover, plans the murder of her husband, King Agamemnon, to avenge his sacrifice of their daughter during the Trojan War. The novel also recounts the stories of Clytemnestra’s son, Orestes, who is living in exile, and her other daughter, Electra, who is driven by demons of her own. Comprised of four sections that focus upon each of the main characters, the book’s structure produces a rich, multilayered effect that underscores the duplicity and deceit endemic to the relationships of Clytemnestra and her kin. Chosen as a best book of 2017 by NPR, Tóibín’s latest novel—his 11th—is a gripping work of fiction filled with drama and betrayal.
TOP PICK FOR BOOK CLUBS
With her taut, suspenseful novel I Found You, British author Lisa Jewell has produced a nail-biter that will appeal to fans of Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train. In the fictional seaside town of Ridinghouse Bay, single mother Alice Lake encounters a strange man on the beach. He has no memory of how he arrived there, and Alice takes him to her home and tries to help him. The man may have connections to Lily Monrose, a Ukrainian living in London whose new husband recently disappeared. When Lily learns from the police that the man on the beach was carrying a false passport, she sets out to find him and learn his true story. Jewell entwines these strands with a narrative set 23 years in the past involving teenagers in Ridinghouse Bay who attract the attention of another strange man. She skillfully ties the threads together in an unforgettable mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the end.
This article was originally published in the March 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.
Book clubs: New in paperback
Victor LaValle weaves elements of fairy tales, myth and good old-fashioned horror into his latest novel, The Changeling, a chilling tale of a shattered family. Apollo Kagwa, a rare-books dealer in New York City, is married to Emma Valentine. As new parents to a boy named Brian, they’re often tired and frazzled. But Emma’s outlook worsens—she becomes short-tempered and distant, even from Brian—and the change is a harbinger of things to come. Emma’s bleak mood culminates in a terrible, life-altering incident, after which she disappears without a trace. When Apollo crosses paths with a stranger who may know what became of Emma, he embarks on a remarkable hunt that leads him to a lonely island and a cemetery, among other spooky locales. LaValle skillfully blends genres in this unforgettable narrative of one man’s struggle to make sense of the world. Named a top book of 2017 by Time and USA Today, this haunting story stays with the reader long after the last page is turned.
THE CURTAIN RISES
Colm Tóibín’s House of Names is a masterful retelling of the ancient Greek tale of the House of Atreus, which was brought to life in the plays of Euripides, Aeschylus and Sophocles. Taking a cue from the work of those dramatists, Tóibín’s novel follows Clytemnestra, who, with the help of her lover, plans the murder of her husband, King Agamemnon, to avenge his sacrifice of their daughter during the Trojan War. The novel also recounts the stories of Clytemnestra’s son, Orestes, who is living in exile, and her other daughter, Electra, who is driven by demons of her own. Comprised of four sections that focus upon each of the main characters, the book’s structure produces a rich, multilayered effect that underscores the duplicity and deceit endemic to the relationships of Clytemnestra and her kin. Chosen as a best book of 2017 by NPR, Tóibín’s latest novel—his 11th—is a gripping work of fiction filled with drama and betrayal.
TOP PICK FOR BOOK CLUBS
With her taut, suspenseful novel I Found You, British author Lisa Jewell has produced a nail-biter that will appeal to fans of Paula Hawkins’ The Girl on the Train. In the fictional seaside town of Ridinghouse Bay, single mother Alice Lake encounters a strange man on the beach. He has no memory of how he arrived there, and Alice takes him to her home and tries to help him. The man may have connections to Lily Monrose, a Ukrainian living in London whose new husband recently disappeared. When Lily learns from the police that the man on the beach was carrying a false passport, she sets out to find him and learn his true story. Jewell entwines these strands with a narrative set 23 years in the past involving teenagers in Ridinghouse Bay who attract the attention of another strange man. She skillfully ties the threads together in an unforgettable mystery that keeps the reader guessing until the end.
This article was originally published in the March 2018 issue of BookPage. Download the entire issue for the Kindle or Nook.