Fiction in translation

Book SynopsisIn 1861 French silkworm merchant Hervé Joncour travels to Japan, where he encounters the mysterious Hara Kei. He develops a painful longing for Kei's beautiful concubine - but they cannot touch; they don't even speak. And he cannot read the note she sends him until he has returned to his own country. But the moment he does, Joncour is enslaved.Subtle, tender and surprising, Silk is an evocative tale of erotic possession.Trade ReviewMesmerising and starkly beautiful * * Observer * *A heart-breaking love story told in the form of a classic fable . . . A stylistic tour de force, a literary gem of bewitching power * * Sunday Times * *Deeply moving . . . A delicately crafted love story and an anatomy of desire * * Guardian * *An intensely powerful and perceptive drama of the deepest human desires . . . One of the most astonishing and moving novels I have ever read * * Daily Telegraph * *Haunting and delicately erotic * * Mail on Sunday * *

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Book SynopsisIn 1978, Haruki Murakami was 29 and running a jazz bar in downtown Tokyo. One April day, the impulse to write a novel came to him suddenly while watching a baseball game. That first novel, Hear the Wind Sing, won a new writers' award and was published the following year. More followed, including A Wild Sheep Chase and Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, but it was Norwegian Wood, published in 1987, which turned Murakami from a writer into a phenomenon. His books became bestsellers, were translated into many languages, including English, and the door was thrown wide open to Murakami's unique and addictive fictional universe.Murakami writes with admirable discipline, producing ten pages a day, after which he runs ten kilometres (he began long-distance running in 1982 and has participated in numerous marathons and races), works on translations, and then reads, listens to records and cooks. His passions colour his non-fiction output, from What I Talk About WhTrade ReviewMurakami writes of contemporary Japan, urban alienation and journeys of self-discovery, and in this book he combines recollections of the war with metaphysics, dreams and hallucinations into a powerful and impressionistic work * Independent *Deeply philosophical and teasingly perplexing, it is impossible to put down * Daily Telegraph *Murakami weaves these textured layers of reality into a shot-silk garment of deceptive beauty * Independent on Sunday *Critics have variously likened him to Raymond Carver, Raymond Chandler, Arthur C. Clarke, Don DeLillo, Philip K. Dick, Bret Easton Ellis and Thomas Pynchon - a roster so ill assorted as to suggest Murakami is in fact an original * New York Times *Mesmerising, surreal, this really is the work of a true original * The Times *

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Book SynopsisAn irresistible story of childhood adventure from the international phenomenon, Karl Ove Knausgaard.* Karl Ove Knausgaard''s dazzling new novel, The Morning Star, is available to pre-order now *Childhood is exhilarating and terrifying. For the young Karl Ove, new houses, classes and friends are met with manic excitement and creeping dread. Adults occupy godlike positions of power, benevolent in the case of his doting mother, tyrannical in the case of his cruel father.In the now infamously direct style of the My Struggle cycle, Knausgaard describes a time in which victories and defeats are felt keenly and every attempt at self-definition is frustrated. This is a book about family, memory and how we never become quite what we set out to be.''Knausgaard finds the sublime in the everyday... Boyhood Island reverberates with the joys and anxieties of early youth, and Knausgaard brilliantly recreates their exaggerated feTrade ReviewVia his visceral, immersive art, Knausgaard makes the heart visible -- Boyd Tonkin * Independent *Knausgaard finds the sublime in the everyday... Boyhood Island reverberates with the joys and anxieties of early youth, and Knausgaard brilliantly recreates their exaggerated feel -- Thomas Meaney * Times Literary Supplement *Compelling and addictive... One of the most grown-up works of fiction we have -- Hermione Hoby * Observer *Powerfully hypnotic and addictive… a Norwegian Paddy Clarke Ha Ha Ha -- Theo Tait * Sunday Times *My Struggle is already the most significant literary achievement of the 21st century and we still have three volumes to go -- Matt Thorne * Sunday Express *Knausgaard's Proustian attention to detail and scrupulous analysis of emotional nuance is almost maddening – but ultimately magnificent * Vogue *Knausgaard continues masterfully -- Malcolm Forbes * Literary Review *One of the most anticipated books of the year (the decade) -- Emily Stokes * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisTurgenev''s first major prose work is a series of twenty-five Sketches: the observations and anecdotes of the author during his travels through Russia satisfying his passion for hunting. His album is filled with moving insights into the lives of those he encounters - peasants and landowners, doctors and bailiffs, neglected wives and bereft mothers - each providing a glimpse of love, tragedy, courage and loss, and anticipating Turgenev''s great later works such as First Love and Fathers and Sons. His depiction of the cruelty and arrogance of the ruling classes was considered subversive and led to his arrest and confinement to his estate, but these sketches opened the minds of contemporary readers to the plight of the peasantry and were even said to have led Tsar Alexander II to abolish serfdom.

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Book SynopsisNatsume Soseki's only coming-of-age novel, Sanshiro depicts the eponymous twenty-three-year-old protagonist as he leaves the sleepy countryside to attend a university in the constantly moving real world of Tokyo. Baffled and excited by the traffic, the academics, and-most of all-the women, Sanshiro must find his way among the sophisticates that fill his new life. An incisive social and cultural commentary, Sanshiro is also a subtle portrait of first love, tradition, and modernization, and the idealism of youth against the cynicism of middle age.For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors

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Book SynopsisAn overlooked classic of Italian literature, this epic and unforgettable novel recounts one man''s long and turbulent life in revolutionary Italy.At the age of eighty-three and nearing death, Carlo Altoviti has decided to write down the confessions of his long life. He remembers everything: his unhappy childhood in the kitchens of the Castle of Fratta; romantic entanglements during the siege of Genoa; revolutionary fighting in Naples; and so much more. Throughout, Carlo lives only for his twin passions in life: his dream of a unified, free Italy and his undying love for the magnificent but inconstant Pisana. Peopled by a host of unforgettable characters - including drunken smugglers, saintly nuns, scheming priests, Napoleon and Lord Byron - this is an epic historical novel that tells the remarkable and inseparable stories of one man''s life and the history of Italy''s unification.Ippolito Nievo was born in 1831 in Padua. Confessions of an Italian, written in 1858 and published posthumously in 1867, is his best known work. A patriot and a republican, he took part with Garibaldi and his Thousand in the momentous 1860 landing in Sicily to free the south from Bourbon rule. Nievo died before he reached the age of thirty, when his ship, en route from Palermo to Naples, went down in the Tyrrhenian Sea in early 1861. He was, Italo Calvino once said, the sole Italian novelist of the nineteenth century in the ''daredevil, swashbuckler, rambler'' mould so dear to other European literatures. Frederika Randall has worked as a cultural journalist for many years. Her previous translations include Luigi Meneghello''s Deliver Us and Ottavio Cappellani''s Sicilian Tragedee and Sergio Luzzatto''s Padre Pio: Miracles and Politics in a Secular Age.Lucy Riall is Professor of Comparative History at the European University Institute. Her many books include Garibaldi. Invention of a Hero. ''Of all the furore that came out of the Risorgimento, only Manzoni and Nievo really matter today'' - Umberto Eco ''The one 19th century Italian novel which has [for an Italian reader] that charm and fascination so abundant in foreign literatures'' - Italo Calvino ''Perhaps the greatest Italian novel of the nineteenth century'' - Roberto Carnero ''A spirited appeal for liberté, égalité and fraternité, the novel is also an astute, scathing and amusing human comedy, a tale of love, sex and betrayal, of great wealth and grinding poverty, of absolute power and scheming submission, of idealism and cynicism, courage and villainy'' - The Literary EncyclopediaTrade ReviewA sprawling story of love, valor, and the Risorgimento ... in a wonderful translation by Frederika Randall -- Elizabeth Kolbert * New Yorker *Unfailingly lively ... a masterpiece ... The plot of Confessions is rich, picaresque, extravagant, and all is delivered in a fresh, lively prose ... The translator Frederika Randall has been remarkably successful in keeping the novel's flavor and sustaining Nievo's quirkiness and readability over so many pages ... As the governments of the post-Risorgimento period set about imposing a cultural homogeneity on the country, Alessandro Manzoni's conservative and very Catholic masterpiece, The Betrothed (1827), safely set in the distant past, was always going to be preferred to Nievo's rich and wild account of love and politics, where so much was dangerously close to home ... Yet there is no doubt in my mind which author English-speaking readers will prefer now that Confessions of an Italian is at last attractively translated in its entirety -- Tim Parks * New York Review of Books *A wonderful blend of wit, political perspicuity and exuberant comic invention, The Confessions of an Italian has been called the great novel of the Risorgimento [...] Frederika Randall's admirable new translation now makes it available in all its sprawling, teasing, snook-cocking glory [...] This is a humane piece of fiction, funny and wise, but it is also a candid, astute account of what it feels like to combine lofty patriotic illusions about a People, with a realistic view of how ignoble and mistaken people generally are -- Lucy Hughes-Hallett * The Times Literary Supplement *Of all the furore that came out of the Risorgimento, only Manzoni and Nievo really matter today -- Umberto EcoThe one 19th century Italian novel which has [for an Italian reader] that charm and fascination so abundant in foreign literatures -- Italo CalvinoPerhaps the greatest Italian novel of the nineteenth century -- Roberto Carnero

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Book SynopsisA landmark in the development of the twentieth-century novel, the Notebooks is the story of a young Danish aristocrat , told in a series of notes that explore Malte's life in Paris, childhood memories and reflections in highly crafted poetic prose. A radical departure from literary realism, it is an archetypal confrontation with the modern.Trade ReviewThis edition, as so many Oxford World's Classics editions do, has just the perfect cover image... [an] excellent introduction by Robert Vilain. * Lisa Hill, ANZLitLovers *For its notes this edition will be invaluable. * Charlie Louth, Times Literary Supplement *A brilliant new translation. * JC, the Lady *masterly translation * Translation and Literature *Reading Notebooks had a strange, dreamlike effect on me; the lines between past and present, real and unreal seemed blurred and it's a book that in many ways is hard to get a handle on.g the effort worthwhile, and I'm keen now to read some of Rilke's poetry. * Shiney New Books *"Notebooks" was an absorbing read, with the often beautiful and evocative prose making the effort worthwhile, and I'm keen now to read some of Rilke's poetry. * Kaggsy's Bookish Ramblings *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewOne of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories * Guardian *A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness * Independent *The most addictive of writers . . . a unique teller of tales * Observer *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewOne of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories * Guardian *A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness * Independent *The most addictive of writers . . . a unique teller of tales * Observer *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewOne of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories * Guardian *A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness * Independent *The most addictive of writers . . . a unique teller of tales * Observer *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewOne of the greatest writers of the twentieth century . . . Simenon was unequalled at making us look inside, though the ability was masked by his brilliance at absorbing us obsessively in his stories * Guardian *A supreme writer . . . unforgettable vividness * Independent *The most addictive of writers . . . a unique teller of tales * Observer *

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Book SynopsisClarice Lispector''s masterly second novel, now available in English for the first time''She found the best clay that one could desire: white, supple, sticky, cold ... She would get a clear and tender material from which she could shape a world''Like the clay from which she sculpts figurines as a girl, Virginia is constantly shifting and changing. From her dreamlike childhood on Quiet Farm with her adored brother Daniel, through an adulthood where the past continues to pull her back and shape her, she moves through life, grasping for the truth of existence. Illuminating Virginia''s progress through intense flashes of image, sensation and perception, The Chandelier, Lispector''s landmark second novel, is a disorienting and exhilarating portrait of one woman''s inner life. ''Utterly original and brilliant, haunting and disturbing'' Colm TóibínTranslated by Benjamin Moser and Magdalena EdwardsTrade ReviewProlific and peerless ... a Brazilian national treasure ... Clarice sought a knowledge beyond knowledge, a wisdom that left wisdom behind ... through her texts emerges the struggle of life: how to live each day, what the painful process of loving is, why one should pick up a pen and respond to indignity in the first place -- Carlos Valladares * Gagosian Quarterly *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewA superb translation... alerts us to the strangeness of Kafka's world - often funnier or happier than we give it credit for - without using the word "Kafkaesque", which should be retired as it now means little more than "frustratingly bureaucratic". Kafka's world is richer, and more rewarding than that. -- Nick Lezard * Guardian *Kafka's posthumously published short fiction cry out for a critical exegesis... newly translated by Michael Hofmann, the stories collected in The Burrow mingle dark comedy with a proto-surrealist intent to unsettle...excellent new translations -- Ian Thomson * New Statesman *Hofmann, with his taste for mischief, makes Kafka, often translated in a buttoned-up key, a writer capable of blending old-fashioned literary parlance and contemporary media-speak... the modern touches also emphasise the timelessness of Kafka's themes, the horror of institutions being just one of them. -- Anna Aslanyan * Financial Times *

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Book SynopsisA masterful tale of murder and intrigue in a small French town, from the celebrated author of the Maigret seriesNot only had the rain in the dark streets, with a halo around each light and reflections on the ground, always given him a certain thrill, it also made it easier for him to move around.It has been raining for twenty days in La Rochelle - ever since the first murder. Since then, five more bodies have been found. In the cafes, over card games, a quiet terror of the killer in their midst spreads through the little town. But unknown to anyone, Kachoudas, a poor, timid tailor, has discovered, quite by accident, who the murderer is. As a twisted cat and mouse game begins, Simenon''s chilling novel takes us into the darkness of the criminal mind. ''Dark, disturbing ... Simenon discovered something fundamental about the soul'' GuardianTrade ReviewA unique teller of tales ... What interested Simenon was the average man losing control of his own fate * Observer *

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Book SynopsisBotchan is a modern young man from the Tokyo metropolis, sent to the ultra-traditional Matsuyama district as a Maths teacher after his the death of his parents. Cynical, rebellious and immature, Botchan finds himself facing several tests, from the pupils - prone to playing tricks on their new, naïve teacher; the staff - vain, immoral, and in danger of becoming a bad influence on Botchan; and from his own as-yet-unformed nature, as he finds his place in the world. One of the most popular novels in Japan where it is considered a classic of adolescence, as seminal as The Catcher in the Rye, Botchan is as funny, poignant and memorable as it was when first published, over 100 years ago.Translated by J. CohnTrade ReviewSoseki's lightest and funniest workThis rollicking rebel, and the spice and pace of the narrative, will appeal to parent, teacher, and schoolchild alike * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book SynopsisSix severed arms are discovered buried in a forest clearing. They are arranged in a mysterious circle, and appear to belong to missing girls between the ages of eight and thirteen. But the rest of the bodies are nowhere to be found.Criminologist Goran Gavila is given the case. A dishevelled, instinctively rebellious man, he is forced to work with young female police officer Mila Vasquez. Lithe, boyish, answering to no one, Mila has a reputation as a specialist in missing children. She also has a tragic history of her own that has left her damaged, unable to feel or to relate to others.Theirs is a fiery but strangely affecting working relationship - and as they uncover more secrets about the dark secrets in the forest, their lives are increasingly in each other''s hands...A gripping literary thriller that has taken Italy by storm, The Whisperer has been as sensational a bestseller in Europe as the Stieg Larsson novels. It is that rare creation: a thought-provoTrade ReviewGruesome and gripping...a taut psychological thriller * The Times *More than delivers on its ghoulish promise...you might not want to read this alone in the house * Time Out *Gripping, multi-layered and difficult to put down, this is a top class literary thriller * Choice *A gripping read...I defy anyone to guess the denouement * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisA twenty-year-old murder A chain of unsolvable mysteries Can one detective solve this epic riddle?When a man is found murdered in an abandoned building in Osaka in 1973, unflappable detective Sasagaki is assigned to the case. He begins to piece together the connection of two young people who are inextricably linked to the crime; the dark, taciturn son of the victim and the unexpectedly captivating daughter of the main suspect. Over the next twenty years we follow their lives as Sasagaki pursues the case - which remains unsolved - to the point of obsession. Stark, intriguing and stylish, Journey Under the Midnight Sun is an epic mystery by the bestselling Japanese author of The Devotion of Suspect X.Trade ReviewA journey not only to the heart of a dark criminal mystery but also into the recesses of the human soul . . . Higashino will hold you with his glittering eye . . . -- Barry Forshaw * Independent *A stark insight into human depths and a stylish tale of morality and failure . . . -- Maxim Jakubowski * Lovereading *As fiendishly clever as The Devotion of Suspect X...Higashino offers one twist after another, all of which touch on the theme suggested by the book's title. Readers will marvel at the artful way the plot builds to the solution of Hidaka's murder. * Publishers Weekly on Malice *Keigo Higashino again proves his mastery of the diabolical puzzle mystery with Malice, a story with more turns, twists, switchbacks and sudden stops than a Tokyo highway during Golden Week. * New York Times *An exceptional study of the psychology of murder as well as a skilfully plotted narrative. * Independent on Malice *Keigo Higashino combines Dostoyevskian psychological realism with classic detective-story puzzles reminiscent of Agatha Christie and E.C. Bentley. * Wall Street Journal *Smart and original...a true page turner...Higashino continues to elevate the modern mystery as an intense and inventive literary form. * Library Journal, Starred Review on Malice *Intricate... At the outset, [Higashino's] approach seems unsettling, but the Edgar nominee knows his business; Malice soon becomes awfully hard to put down. * Booklist *The creator of Detective Galileo returns with another fiendishly clever Chinese - make that Japanese - box of a whydunit....Each time you're convinced Higashino's wrung every possible twist out of his golden-age setup, he comes up with a new one. If you still miss the days of The Murder of Roger Ackroyd, you can't do better than this fleet, inventive retro puzzler. * Kirkus Reviews on Malice *Intricate and beguiling...if you like riddles inside enigmas, it will please you no end. * Guardian on The Devotion of Suspect X *A detective story about writers is often particularly satisfying, and this one is no exception...The plot is satisfyingly twisty and gathers pace as the revelations come thicker, faster, and more and more unexpected. * Sydney Morning Herald on Malice *A psychological thriller of the highest order...Each time Higashino makes a revelation, he quickly pulls the carpet from under one's feet, fuelling the reader to finish the book as quickly as possible. * Singapore Straits Times on Malice *Edgar-nominated Higashino revisits the dangerous codependence of bonds forged in murder with this complex, elegant psychological thriller * Booklist *Higashino has crafted a compelling and epic crime novel that entangles the culprits, victims, and police in a complex web * Library Journal *

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Book SynopsisA brutal killer is on the streets of Rome.He leaves no trace. And shows no mercy.A series of gruesome murders leaves the police force in Rome reeling, with no real clues or hard evidence to follow. Assigned to the case is Sandra Vega, a brilliant forensic analyst, struggling to come to terms with the crimes and her own past. Sandra''s shared history with Marcus, a member of the ancient Penitenzeri - a unique Italian team, linked to the Vatican, and trained in the detection of true evil, means that the two are brought together again in the pursuit of a malignant killer.Soon Marcus and Sandra notice the emergence of a disturbing pattern running alongside the latest killings - and every time they think they have grasped a fragment of the truth, they are led down yet another terrifying path. A sensational new literary thriller from the bestselling author of The Whisperer, this novel captures the beautiful atmosphere of Rome and explores its dark and hiTrade ReviewMore Steig Larsson than Henning Mankell, more Jo Nesbo than Karl Ove Knausgaard ... a gallopingly fun read: dark, disturbing -- Alison Flood Observer Proceeds at breakneck speed ... offers a series of clever shocks The Sunday Times Shiveringly intelligent The Times

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Book SynopsisA modern saga spanning the whole of the 20th century, by one of Iceland''s most celebrated writers.At the beginning of this story there is death, and yet it is a celebration of life - the passion between a man and a woman, forbidden love, violence, sorrow, betrayal. Happiness and misfortune are passed down from one generation to the next. The sorrow over what was and what might have been weighs heavily on the characters and at the end of this chain, for now, stands Ari, on his way to his dying father, with a score still to be settled. The raw beauty of life is written into the dramatic Icelandic landscape, and into a society that has undergone great transformation within a century. In language both archaic and lyrical, and yet entirely contemporary and full of humour, Jón Kalman Stefánsson proves himself one of the finest European writers of his generation.A companion volume to Fish Have No Feet (longlisted for the Man Booker International PrTrade ReviewStefánsson's prose rolls and surges with oceanic splendour. -- Boyd Tonkin * Spectator. *A wonderful, exceptional writer . . . A timeless storyteller. -- Carsen JensenPowerful and sparkling . . . Prize-winning translator Philip Roughton's feather-light touch brings out the gleaming, fairy-tale quality of the writing -- Nora Mahoney * Irish Times *Stefansson shares the elemental grandeur of Cormac McCarthy -- Eileen Battersby * Times Literary Supplement *

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Book Synopsis''Horst is brilliant on the day-to-day details of investigation, while keeping tension to the end'' SUNDAY TIMES''Horst, a former Norwegian police detective, is often compared to Sweden''s Henning Mankell for his moody, sweeping crime dramas'' NEW YORK TIMESIf you loved Wallander, meet Wisting - your next Scandi crime obsession . . .15 years ago, Simon Meier walked out of his house and was never seen again.With no leads, the case quickly ran cold. Until now. Because one day ago, politician Bernard Clausen died. And in his cabin on the Norwegian coast, police make a shocking discovery. Boxes of bank notes, worth millions of dollars. Collecting dust.Chief Inspector William Wisting thinks it could link to Meier''s disappearance.But solving both cases will mean working with an old adversary, and delving into a dark underworld - which leads closer to home than he could have imagined Trade ReviewHorst is brilliant on the day-to-day details of investigation, while keeping tension to the end * Sunday Times *Impeccably crafted police procedural * Sunday Times Crime Club *A well-crafted, atmospheric, character-driven thriller - I couldn't put it down! * Alex Dahl, author of The Boy At The Door *Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers -- Marcel Berlin * The Times *Jørn Lier Horst is one of the most brilliantly understated crime novelists writing today -- Joan Smith * Sunday Times *Plotting reigns supreme. Fortunately, that's Horst's primary skill * Barry Forshaw, Financial Times *A good Nordic police procedural with well-drawn characters * Choice Magazine *A nail biting deftly plotted thriller by a Norwegian police officer turned bestselling author * Saga Magazine *Lier Horst's novels stand comparison with the best police procedurals from anywhere in the world . . . polished and stylish . . . Wisting is a cracking creation . . . this is a riveting police procedural, it's a page turner, inventive and thrilling by turns * NB Magazine *If you liked Wallander you'll enjoy this too * Crime Fiction Lover *One of the finest novels in one of the best police procedural series out there and a more than decent slice of scandi-noir too * NB *Jørn Lier Horst writes some of the best Scandinavian crime fiction available. His books are superbly plotted and addictive, the characters wonderfully realised * Yrsa Sigurdardóttir *Another good, solid police procedural * Connaught Telegraph *Praise for Jørn Lier Horst * - *Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers -- Marcel Berlin * The Times *Jørn Lier Horst is one of the most brilliantly understated crime novelists writing today -- Joan Smith * Sunday Times *A good Nordic police procedural with well-drawn characters * Choice Magazine *Pure evil in a solid Wisting crime novel. /..../ Jørn Lier Horst delivers credible crime fiction as always * Norway *With Ill Will, Jørn Lier Horst claims the number one spot on the winner's podium. /.../ Ill Will is the most brutal and ruthless novel penned by Horst to date. A ruthlessness that Horst delivers with elegance. /.../ The interplay between father and daughter, the police man and the journalist, is once again brilliantly portrayed * Norway *

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Book SynopsisThe chilling and heart-pounding new novel from Norwegian superstar Jørn Lier Horst THE INSPIRATION FOR THE HIT BBC FOUR SHOW WISTING ''Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers'' THE TIMES''Tense, fast-paced, compelling'' SUNDAY TIMES________ Five years ago, serial killer Tom Kerr was imprisoned. Today, he''s out to reveal the resting place of his final victim.However, Detective Wisting is taking no chances. Kerr is chained and handcuffed. The police have dogs and guns. But minutes after entering the forest, Wisting''s officers lie broken and bleeding. And Kerr has vanished into the woods. Too late, Wisting realises their error. What''s worse, Kerr had an accomplice who was never caught . . . Now two murderers are on the loose - and Wisting has just hours to find them . . .________ ''One of the most brilliantly understated crime novelists writing Trade ReviewTense, fast-paced . . . compelling * Sunday Times *Relentlessly exciting . . . creates a sense of real menace * The Times *Jørn Lier Horst claims the number one spot on the winner's podium * Tvedestrandsposten, Norway *Jørn Lier Horst delivers credible crime fiction as always * Verdens Gang, Norway *Praise for Jørn Lier Horst * - *Up there with the best of the Nordic crime writers * The Times *If you liked Wallander you'll enjoy this too * Crime Fiction Lover *Jørn Lier Horst writes literary crime with high credibility and keen-eyed societal depictions - he's Norway's own Henning Mankell -- Hjorth & RosenfeldtImpeccably crafted police procedural * Sunday Times Crime Club *Jørn Lier Horst writes some of the best Scandinavian crime fiction available. His books are superbly plotted and addictive, the characters wonderfully realised * Yrsa Sigurdardóttir *Jørn Lier Horst is one of the most brilliantly understated crime novelists writing today * Sunday Times *Horst, a former Norwegian police detective, is often compared to Sweden's Henning Mankell for his moody, sweeping crime dramas * New York Times *Jørn Lier Horst raises the suspense level to horror proportions -- Lotta Olsson * Dagens Nyheter, 'Best Crime Novels of 2020' *

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Book Synopsis''A magnificent writer'' KARIN SLAUGHTERA murdered woman. A missing child. And a father intent on revenge.On a cold day in Reykjavik, a baby goes missing from her pram. When the child''s blanket washes up on the beach, and the mother is found dead, everyone''s worst fears seem to have been realised.Eleven years later, and detective Huldar and child psychologist Freyja are now working in the same police building, on the same team. Freyja believes that personal and professional relationships must remain separate, however hard that may be. But when a woman''s dismembered body is found in a deserted car, her head missing, and Freyja and Huldar find themselves working on the same case, the secrecy around their affair threatens to crack. And when Freyja is accused of a serious breach of police protocol, will Huldar be able to help her? Meanwhile, their search to identify the body takes the case back into secrets of the past, and the unsp

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Book SynopsisNow on BBC! Watch Jules Verne's exciting classic adventure reimagined as an eight-part series starring David Tennant as Phileas Fogg.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition of Around the World in Eighty Days features an afterword from John Grant.On a seemingly normal day at the exclusive Reform Club, Phileas Fogg, a gentleman of great wealth and exacting tastes, makes an extraordinary £20,000 wager; he will perform an impossible feat and circumnavigate the globe in just eighty days. Accompanied only by his new French valet, the steady Passepartout, he sets off on a thrilling journey. Adventure, chaos and romance ensue as Fogg and Passepartout harness the new power of steam to escape their ever-increasing enemies and beat the clock.

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Book SynopsisThe Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas is the ultimate novel of retribution. Based on a true story, it recounts the story of Edouard Dantes, his betrayal and imprisonment in the sinister Chateau d'If. Years later, Paris is intrigued by the mysterious Count of Monte Cristo, who bursts onto the Paris social scene with his millions. He encounters the three principal betrayers of Dantes who have prospered in the post-Napoleonic boom and, one by one, their lives fall apart. The book was a huge, popular success when it was first serialized in 1844, and remains the greatest tale of revenge.This beautiful, abridged Macmillan Collector's Library edition of The Count of Monte Cristo features an afterword by Marcus Clapham.Designed to appeal to the booklover, the Macmillan Collector's Library is a series of beautiful gift editions of much loved classic titles. Macmillan Collector's Library are books to love and treasure.

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Book Synopsis'One of the 20th century's greatest thinkers and prose stylists' New York Times 'A novel of the disquieting contours of family, and of the mind, and of life unceasing even in the midst of death by one of the most important, visionary writers of all time' Amina Cain, author of Indelicacy WITH A FOREWORD BY KATE ZAMBRENO There’s nothing to do about boredom, I’m bored, but one day I won’t be bored anymore. Soon I’ll know that it’s not even worth the trouble. We’ll have the easy life. Twenty-five-year-old Francine Veyrenattes, confined to the family farm, already feels that life is passing her by. But after Francine lets slip a terrible secret, culminating in the violent deaths of her brother and uncle, her world is shattered. Fleeing the farm for the seaside, Francine finds herself disintegrating. Lying in the sun with her toes in the sand, she restlessly wishes for things to be somehow easier, to have a life worth living. But then the calm and quiet is broken yet again – by another tragedy and a senseless death, in which Francine finds herself implicated. Cast out of paradise, and stranded between her home and the rest of the world, she must confront her rapidly dissolving sense of self if she is to find a way to survive. 'It’s a masterpiece, and a little known, if not unknown, masterpiece … Any serious reader of this author’s work must begin with this novel' YVES BERGER Trade ReviewReading The Easy Life, there is a sense of riding on the edge of a dark wave, a brilliant intensity only Marguerite Duras could bring into existence. A novel of the disquieting contours of family, and of the mind, and of life unceasing even in the midst of death. How exhilarating to be able to encounter Francine Veyrenattes, a character I won't forget, and for the first time in English, this early work by one of the most important, visionary writers of all time -- AMINA CAINEight decades on, Duras’s nascent talent is on display here * GUARDIAN *Full of desolation and longing ... Sit with the ennui and you may find moments of intense clarity * NEW STATESMAN *Chilly, introspective, told with barely any dialogue, yet shaped by white-hot melodrama, it’s a bracing, uncanny reading experience * DAILY MAIL *Simultaneously grotesque, beautiful and tragic * DAILY TELEGRAPH *In this powerful, immaculately translated novel, we watch the young Marguerite Duras move from the fierce, iron rigors of narrative to her more characteristic style of relentless introspection. This book, which she wrote in her twenties, already reveals all her powers -- EDMUND WHITEPraise for Marguerite Duras: By turns ardent, raging, sensual and embittered ... A dreamlike, savage world, in which the great themes of love, war and death found their most recklessly impassioned chronicler * Observer *A writer who believed that understanding suffering was an act of the imagination * New Yorker *Very beautiful, highly intelligent, enjoyable and original * Sunday Times *

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Book SynopsisAn extraordinary and ambitious mosaic of a novel of a family over centuries, from Iceland's most exceptional contemporary storyteller.

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Book SynopsisThe novels that inspired Rebecka Martinsson: Arctic Murders - the major TV series"Rebecka Martinsson: the new Scandi-noir heroine to rival Saga Noren and Sarah Lund" iNews"In a television world now awash in female coppers, there aren't many as interesting and human as Rebecka" Wall Street JournalAt the end of a deadly bear hunt across the wilderness of Northern Sweden, the successful hunters are shaken by a grisly discovery. Across in Kurravaara, a woman is murdered with frenzied brutality: crude abuse scrawled above her bloodied bed, her young grandson nowhere to be found. Only Rebecka Martinsson sees a connection. Dropped from the case thanks to a jealous rival, she now stands alone against a killer who brings death to young and old, spawned by a horrifying crime that festers after one hundred years on ice.

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Book SynopsisOsamu Dazai is one of the most famous--and infamous--writers of 20th-century Japan. A Shameful Life (Ningen shikkaku) is his final published work and has become a bestselling classic for its depiction of the tortured struggle of a young man to survive in a world that he cannot comprehend. Paralleling the life and death of Dazai himself, the delicate weaving of fact and fiction remorselessly documents via journals the life of Yozo, a university student who spends his time in increasing isolation and debauchery. His doomed love affairs, suicide attempts, and constant fear of revealing his true self haunt the pages of the book and reveal a slow descent into madness. This dark tale nevertheless conveys something authentic about the human heart and its inability to find its true bearing.Trade ReviewWinner of the William F. Sibley Memorial Subvention Award for Japanese Translation "Dazai's reputation has not waned a bit in seventy years. Reading Mark Gibeau's brilliant translation will show you why." --Roger Pulvers, award-winning translator, film director, and author of LIV

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Book Synopsis'Part thriller, part telenovela, a well-wrought tango noir' The Times 'Vivid and unforgiving' Guardian 'A breathless procedural' ____________ A devastating train crash in the suburbs of Buenos Aires leaves forty-three people dead, but not Hugo Lamadrid, a criminal wanted for murder. He seizes his change to disappear, abandoning his possessions - and, he hopes, his identity - among bodies mangled beyond all recognition. As the police descend of the scene, only grizzled Detective Domínguez sees a link between the crash and his murder case. Soon, he's on Hugo's tail. But he hasn't banked on everything from the media to Hugo's mother-in-law getting in his way. This crackling, pacy noir shines a light on urgent social issues - if you loved The Khan by Saima Mir or Lightseekers by Femi Kayode then you'll love Urgent Matters! ____________ READERS LOVE URGENT MATTERS! 'If this novel by Paula Rodriguez is anything to go by Argentinian noir may be the next big thing' 'It is a perfect slice of Argentine Noir with a current of dark humour running through it and I would highly recommend picking this up if you are looking for a sharp, energetic and compelling read' 'The stand out element of the story was the fabulous character development. All the key players feel like they are pushing their way out of the book into my world' FURTHER PRAISE FOR URGENT MATTERS 'Written in the taut, clean style of the classic pulp noir' Irish Times 'Evokes the teeming metropolis of Buenos Aires in a vibrant fashion' Crime Time 'Frenetic pace and a hypnotic, disturbing plot... An essential read' Agustina Bazterrica, author of Tender is the FleshTrade Review“[A] perfectly paced and plotted Argentine thriller... one of the most delightful cat-and-mouse thrillers I’ve read in quite some time.” --Crime Reads “Raymond Chandler by way of Jorge Luis Borges… for an adventurous reader of literary noir, Rodríguez’s intriguing take on the genre should prove a treat.” --Toronto Star“[A] breathless procedural... a notable addition to South American noir.” --Times and Sunday Times Crime Club"Part thriller, part telenovela, Paula Rodríguez’s bleakly comic novel is all Argentine in its awareness of how society makes accommodation with corruption… [a] well-wrought tango noir."--Times (UK)"A vivid and unforgiving depiction of a world in which everyone... is guilty of something." --Guardian"This fast-moving novel evokes the teeming metropolis of Buenos Aires in a vibrant fashion, travelling between its poles of social differences and affording insights into a country still divided by race and class."--Crime Time"Written in the taut, clean style of the classic pulp noir... the story barrels along at a ferocious rate"--Irish Times"Paula Rodriguez’s debut novel beautifully evokes the sense of disjointed strangeness and shattered reality that descends in the immediate aftermath of a major disaster, before the dust has settled and the victims accounted for."--Breaking News"Fast-paced and funny, breathing life into an intriguing cast."--Observer"With frenetic pace and a hypnotic, disturbing plot, Urgent Matters is an exploration of how facts are constructed and which of them prevail to become realities. In the post-truth era, it is an essential read."--Agustina Bazterrica, author of Tender is the Flesh“Brilliantly-developed characters and a suspenseful journey with an Argentinian noir backdrop.” --Murderjowrote “If this novel by Paula Rodriguez is anything to go by Argentinian noir may be the next big thing.” --Book Phace “It is a perfect slice of Argentine Noir with a current of dark humour running through it and I would highly recommend picking this up if you are looking for a sharp, energetic and compelling read.” --Life with all the books “The stand out element of the story was the fabulous character development. All the key players feel like they are pushing their way out of the book into my world.” --Grab this book

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Book SynopsisWhat did the disintegration of the Soviet Union feel like for the people who lived through it? Award-winning writer Sasha Salzmann tells this story in a remarkable novel about two women in extraordinary times As a child, Lena longs to pick hazelnuts in the woods with her grandmother. Instead, she is raised to be a good socialist: sent to Pioneer summer camps where she's taught to worship Lenin and sing songs in praise of the glorious Soviet Union. But perestroika is coming. Lena's corner of the USSR is now Ukraine, and corruption and patronage are the only ways to get by - to secure a place at university, an apartment, treatment for a sick baby. For Tatjana, the shock of the new means the first McDonald's in the Soviet Union and certified foreign whisky, but no food in the shops; it means terrible choices about how to love. Eventually both women must decide whether to stay or to emigrate, but the trauma they carry is handed down to their daughters, who struggle to make sense of their own identities. Glorious People is a vivid depiction of how the collapse of the Soviet Union reverberated through the lives of ordinary people. Engrossing, rich in detail and unforgettable characters, this is a captivating love letter to mothers and daughters.Trade Review''A story of several generations of women that poignantly demonstrates the imprint of history on people's lives, often with tragic consequences. Salzmann conveys the emotional turmoil and agonizing choices their characters make with exquisite nuance and sensitivity. Their distinctive voice, elegant prose and engaging narrative result in a marvelous work'' - Victoria Belim, author of The Rooster House'Glorious People is hypnotic, sweeping, and more relevant than ever. The mothers and daughters of Glorious People will stick with you long after you turn the last page of this mesmerizing, sharp, and devastating novel. They are searching for meaning and belonging as immigrants, mothers, wives, professionals, and citizens of a complex and ever-changing world. This novel offers a fresh take on the Soviet diaspora that offers both a meaningful critique and a semblance of much-needed hope for the future.' - Maria Kuznetsova, author of Something Unbelievable'In an unflinching examination of mother-daughter ties, Salzmann recreates the lost and newly found world, populating it with powerfully drawn, unforgettable characters. Masterful and haunting' - Elena Gorokhova, author of A Train to Moscow'[Salzmann] writes in a broad, timelessly epic style. There is a quiet sovereignty here that gives one great hope that we are reading one of the next great German storytellers' - Suddeutsche Zeitung'A brilliant book... [that] vibrates with the pleasure of narrating' - Neue Zurcher Zeitung

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Book SynopsisThe Israeli master’s exceptional final novelSHORTLISTED FOR THE MAN BOOKER INTERNATIONAL PRIZE 2017 Shmuel – a young, idealistic student – has abandoned his studies in Jerusalem, taking a live-in job as a companion to a cantankerous old man. But Shmuel quickly becomes obsessed with the taciturn Atalia, a woman of enchanting beauty, who also lives in the house. As the household’s tangled, tragic past becomes apparent, so too does story behind the birth of the state of Israel. Journeying back into the deep past, Judas is a love story like no other by a master storyteller at the height of his powers.‘A hero of mine, a moral as well as literary giant’ Simon Schama‘One of his boldest works of all’ Boyd Tonkin, Financial Times‘Amos Oz…brought so much beauty, so much love, and a vision of peace to our lives. Please hold him in your hearts and read his books’ Natalie PortmanJudas is the first novel selected for the Amos Oz reading circle established by Natalie Portman. Trade ReviewJudas is many-layered, thought-provoking and – in its love story – delicate as a chrysalis, this is an old-fashioned novel of ideas that is strikingly and compellingly modern. -- Peter Stanford * Observer *A very absorbing addition to his remarkable oeuvre -- Andrew Motion * Guardian *This book is compassionate as well as painfully provocative, a contribution to some sort of deeper listening to the dissonances emerging from deep within the politics and theology of Israel and Palestine. -- Rowan Williams * New Statesman *After almost two dozen books that track changes in both heart and state with untiring strength and subtlety, the Israeli master has delivered one of the boldest of all his works… Nicholas de Lange, Oz’s distinguished translator, steers these virtuoso transitions between debate and domesticity with unerring skill… Oz can imagine, and inhabit, treachery of every stripe. But he keeps faith with the art of fiction. -- Boyd Tonkin * Financial Times *A big, beautiful novel… Funny, wise and provoking. -- Kate Saunders * The Times *challenging, complex and strangely compelling… The ideas at the novel’s centre have great vitality and force. The philosophical passages bristle with linguistic energy, scriptural references and dense detail, vividly conveyed in Nicholas de Lange’s translation. -- Eva Hoffman * Spectator *It is rich in material to grapple with. Oz engages with urgent questions while retaining his right as a novelist to fight shy of answers: it’s a mark of his achievement that the result isn’t frustrating but tantalising. -- Anthony Cummins * Daily Telegraph *A masterpiece: command of the word, mastery of construct, the ability to stimulate all the senses of the reader. * La Reppublica *Judas is a rich and thrilling novel, one of the most interesting books published this year. * Haaretz *Amos Oz belongs to the great authors of world literature * Suddeutsche Zeitung *

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Book SynopsisA spine-tingling, boundary-crossing, mind-blowing conceptual horror novel from the bestselling author of Let the Right One InTrade ReviewSpooky, creepily disturbing . . . If you like your reads uncomfortably supernatural, let Lindqvist scare the pants off you with this gem -- Jon Wise * Sunday Sport ***Book of the Month** The strength of the novel lies in the author's calm, unhurried reporting of increasingly supernatural events, and his decision tohave a fictional version of himself as narrator, which lends an unsettlingly autobiographical element and grounds the story in reality. I Always Find You is a compelling treatise on loneliness, alienation and the evil that lurks in every heart. -- Eric Brown * Guardian *

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Book SynopsisIn May and September 1976, two earthquakes ripped through north-eastern Italy, causing severe damage to the landscape and its population. About a thousand people died under the rubble, tens of thousands were left without shelter, and many ended up leaving their homes in Friuli forever. The displacement of material as a result of the earthquakes was enormous. New terrain was formed that reflects the force of the catastrophe and captures the fundamentals of natural history. But it is far more difficult to find expression for the human trauma, the experience of an abruptly shattered existence. In Rombo, Esther Kinsky’s sublime new novel, seven inhabitants of a remote mountain village talk about their lives, which have been deeply impacted by the earthquake that has left marks they are slowly learning to name. From the shared experience of fear and loss, the threads of individual memory soon unravel and become haunting and moving narratives of a deep trauma.Trade Review‘In Kinsky’s novel, the land speaks...Kinsky expertly animates the natural world around her while removing her human hand. Kinsky lets nature uphold its own intractable logic… If trauma is the inability to redescribe, Rombo offers a powerful antidote in language and the infinite possibilities of description; like the trembling Friulian landscape, forever writing itself anew.’ —Matthew Janney, Financial Times‘Esther Kinsky has more eyes than most; in her novel Rombo she evokes the entire life of an Italian village before, during, and after the two devastating earthquakes of 1976, but each plant and animal central to the village is also a character, and the most important character of all is the landscape itself. The book becomes as much about the futures as the past, for our natural disasters are increasingly man-made, and we need more than ever this reminder of universal impermanence and the marks of memory we leave in its wake.’ — Mary Ruefle, author of Madness, Rack, and Honey‘A tragic travelogue to the underworld-turned-world that recasts a newly lost Italian past with a climate-wise chorus straight out of the most harrowing Greek drama.’ — Joshua Cohen, author of The Netanyahus‘In Esther Kinsky’s new novel, language becomes the highest form of compassion and solidarity – not only with us human beings, but with the whole world, organic, non-organic, speaking out with many mouths and living voices. A miracle of a book; should be shining when it gets dark.’ — Maria Stepanova, author of In Memory of Memory‘Esther Kinsky has created a literary oeuvre of impressive stylistic brilliance, thematic diversity and stubborn originality. ... It is always clear that for her the only landscape worth describing is the one in which she is currently situated. Far from “eco-dreaming”, without sorrow or critique, Kinsky’s novels and poems position humanity in relation to the ruins it has produced and what still remains of nature.’ — 2022 Kleist Prize jury‘[Kinsky] has a poet’s ear for rhythm and precision, elegantly rendered in Caroline Schmidt’s translation. The author has a great gift for describing landscape; she lingers meticulously over rocks and ridges and the ancient formation of mountains.’ — Charlie Lee, Times Literary Supplement‘While the narrator offers insights about collective trauma and the transformative impact of nature’s whims on one’s sense of home, the book is filled with the voices of the landscape’s inhabitants.’ — New Yorker‘In Esther Kinsky, German literature has an author whose books are full of poetic intelligence. ... A brilliant new novel.’ — Neue Zürcher Zeitung‘Rombo is staggering. There is something epic about it… It’s about how we make places habitable — homes, memories, the past — and carry on.’ — Magnus Rena, Review 31‘Moving testimonies from fictionalised inhabitants of Friuli are interspersed with detailed observations about the landscape, geology, history and folklore of the area, all set down in precise, mellifluous prose.’ — Michael Delgado, i News‘Gracefully translated by Caroline Schmidt, Rombo is ambitious in its aim of presenting the total ecosystem of an area: geology, gossip, flora and folktales rub up against each other in an accumulating series of vignettes. Each voice remains distinct, however, in Kinsky’s delicately insistent prose, which draws its reader into the confidence of the village community…The notion of tales ‘written into the landscape’ underpins a central preoccupation of Kinsky’s intimate and poised novel: what happens when a landscape loses its legibility?’ — Damian Walsh, Literary Review‘The quality of Esther Kinsky’s writing is so good that you cannot fail to be spellbound by it.’ — The Modern Novel

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Book SynopsisRead the spicy romance that became a TikTok and Netflix sensationRaquel Álvarez has one goal - to become a psychologist. Well, that and to get Ares Hildago to notice her.For as long as Raquel can remember, she has been obsessed with Ares - her rich, hot, mysterious neighbour. Even though he lives next door, Raquel has never spoken to him - until a chance encounter reveals her crush is anything but unrequited, and their steamy attraction grows into something much more.Raquel is all in with Ares. But Ares can't, or won't, commit, as his struggle with personal and family responsibilities leaves little room for falling in love.What burns bright burns fast, but for Ares and Raquel, can it last?

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Book SynopsisDuring his most productive decade, the 1880s, Maupassant wrote more than 300 stories, including 'Boule de Suif', 'The Necklace', 'The House of Madame Tellier', 'The Hand', 'The Horla' and 'Mademoiselle Fifi'. Marked by the psychological realism that he famously pioneered, the tales in this selection lead us on a tour of the human experience-lust and love, revenge and ridicule, terror and madness. Many take place in the author's native Normandy, but the settings range farther abroad as well, from Brittany and Paris to Corsica and the Mediterranean coast, and even to North Africa and India. Maupassant's remarkable range and ability to evoke an entire world in a few pages have ensured that his fiction has retained its power to entertain through generations of readers. Marjorie Laurie's accomplished translations from the 1920s have similarly stood the test of time.

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Book SynopsisMurakami's 69, a side-splittingly funny coming-of-age novel set in the Japan of the sixties In a small, inconsequential city in Japan, all that matters to 17-year-old Kensuke Yazaki and his friends is girls, rock music and, to a much lesser extent, school. Told at high speed and with irresistible humour by Kensuke himself, this is the story of their 1969, as they engage in heated conversations about Marxism, Rimbaud, Godard, the Beatles and the Stones, set up a barricade in their school, organise a rock festival and map out a highly successful strategy in girl-winning. This is a young Japan entirely turned towards the West, pervaded by Western music, where the girls have nicknames pulled from famous British films, but still locked in a fight with the rigid post-war conservatism of the older generation. Translated from the Japanese by Ralph McCarthy and published by Pushkin Press 'A light, rollicking, sometimes hilarious, but never sentimental picture of late-sixties Japan.' Library Journal 'A great deal of fun, and Murakami ... is a find.' Kirkus Reviews 'The hero is a thoroughly engaging smartass.' Los Angeles Times A superb and very funny bluffer, and one sympathizes with him all the way. Atlantic Monthly 'A cross between The Catcher and the Rye and The Strawberry Statement.' Review of Contemporary Fiction Born in 1952 in Nagasaki prefecture, Ryu Murakami is the enfant terrible of contemporary Japanese literature. Awarded the prestigious Akutagawa Prize in 1976 for his first book, a novel about a group of young people drowned in sex and drugs, he has gone on to explore with cinematic intensity the themes of violence and technology in contemporary Japanese society. His novels include Coin Locker Babies, Sixty-Nine, Popular Hits of the Showa Era, Audition, In the Miso Soup and From the Fatherland, with Love. Murakami is also a screenwriter and a director; his films include Tokyo Decadence, Audition and Because of You.Table of ContentsBorn in 1952 in Nagasaki prefecture, Ryu Murakami is the enfant terrible of contemporary Japanese literature. Awarded the prestigious Akutagawa Prize in 1976 for his first book, a novel about a group of young people drowned in sex and drugs, he has gone on to explore with cinematic intensity the themes of violence and technology in contemporary Japanese society. His novels include Coin Locker Babies, Sixty-Nine, Popular Hits of the Showa Era, Audition, In the Miso Soup and From the Fatherland, with Love. Murakami is also a screenwriter and a director; his films include Tokyo Decadence, Audition and Because of You.

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Book SynopsisAn ambitious, epic dystopian novel - part political thriller and part satire. From the Fatherland, with Love is set in an alternative, dystopian present in which the dollar has collapsed and Japan's economy has fallen along with it. The North Korean government, sensing an opportunity, sends a fleet of rebels in the first land invasion that Japan has ever faced. Japan can't cope with the surprise onslaught of Operation From the Fatherland, with Love . But the terrorist Ishihara and his band of renegade youths - once dedicated to upsetting the Japanese government - turn their deadly attention to the North Korean threat. They will not allow Fukuoka to fall without a fight. Epic in scale, From the Fatherland, with Love is laced throughout with Murakami's characteristically savage violence. It's both a satisfying thriller and a completely mad, over-the-top novel like few others. Translated by Ralph McCarthy, Charles De Wolf and Ginny Tapley Takemori, and published by Pushkin Press 'A troubled meditation on the soul of modern Japan... Alarmingly pertinent in light of current British politics... A morbidly funny comedy... Above all, it is a phenomenal feat of storytelling 700 pages, dozens of characters and scores of ideas woven into one gripping whole.' Andrzej Lukowski, Metro 'This is a novel by the other Murakami. Not Haruki... If Haruki is The Beatles of Japanese literature, Ryu is its Rolling Stones... [From the Fatherland, with Love] has a Tolstoyan cast of characters, from crack North Korean commandos and hapless Japanese bureaucrats to a gang of hoodlums who eventually decide to save Japan. It unfolds with the pace of a thriller...' David Pilling, Financial TImes 'Massively ambitious and uncompromising... prescient in unexpected ways' Joanne Hayden, Sunday Business Post ''[Mixes] the thrills of a spy novel with some national soul-searching' Lionel Barber, Financial Times, Summer Books 'Definitely edgier and darker than Haruki [Ryu Murakami] has a worldwide following and is regarded by many as one of the most thrilling writers of contemporary Japanese fiction... [He] offers a thrilling insight - with a geopolitical panoramic view - into national character, human relationships, chaos and disorder' - Tatevik Sargsyan, Hunger Magazine 'Like nothing else out there... a Japanese Tarantino... Highly addictive' Morpheus Tales Born in 1952 in Nagasaki prefecture, Ryu Murakami is the enfant terrible of contemporary Japanese literature. Awarded the prestigious Akutagawa Prize in 1976 for his first book, a novel about a group of young people drowned in sex and drugs, he has gone on to explore with cinematic intensity the themes of violence and technology in contemporary Japanese society. His novels include Coin Locker Babies, Sixty-Nine, Popular Hits of the Showa Era, Audition and In the Miso Soup. Murakami is also a screenwriter and a director; his films include Tokyo Decadence, Audition and Because of You.Trade ReviewA troubled meditation on the soul of modern Japan... Alarmingly pertinent in light of current British politics... A morbidly funny comedy... Above all, it is a phenomenal feat of storytelling 700 pages, dozens of characters and scores of ideas woven into one gripping whole. -- Andrzej Lukowski Metro This is a novel by the other Murakami. Not Haruki... If Haruki is The Beatles of Japanese literature, Ryu is its Rolling Stones... [From the Fatherland, with Love] has a Tolstoyan cast of characters, from crack North Korean commandos and hapless Japanese bureaucrats to a gang of hoodlums who eventually decide to save Japan. It unfolds with the pace of a thriller... -- David Pilling Financial Times Massively ambitious and uncompromising... prescient in unexpected ways -- Joanne Hayden Sunday Business Post [Mixes] the thrills of a spy novel with some national soul-searching -- Lionel Barber Financial Times, Summer Books ...a truly unhinged bit of satire... this long and very strange political novel by the "other" Murakami seems even more beady-eyed after Fukushima... Sunday Telegraph

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Book Synopsis"It is rare to say about a book that you have never read anything like it, and this is one such case." Elle"A pure diamond, a magnificent event. A mind-blowing debut novel." Le PointEel is a 17-year-old girl who leaves her rock on the archipelago of Comoros to lose herself at sea. She drifts between two states of mind and between two islands 'in a hollow maze', evoking her memories so as to forget nothing and so as to delay the inevitable outcome.Confronted with the pressing immediacy of imminent death, Eel recounts the story of her whole life in one long, sustained breath, in a series of brief couplets.A story told in a single sentence, A Girl Called Eel is a memorial, a reckoning, and a powerful narrative imbued with a prevailing sense of urgency.

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Book SynopsisWhile her mother is in the hospital with a grave but unnamed illness, Marina spends the summer with her grandmother, waiting to hear whether she'll get to go home or be bundled off, newly orphaned, to a convent school. There are no rules at Grandma's, but that also means there are no easy ways to fend off the visions of sex and violence that torment and titillate the girl. Presenting a unique and vivid take on the coming-of-age novel, Oldladyvoice reimagines childhood through the eyes of its one-of-a-kind, hilarious, perceptive and endearing narrator.Trade Review‘Sad, funny, sharp, and poetic: the best possible ingredients for a book. The perfect chronicle of a smart girl in a stupid world.’ Ben Brooks----‘Perfectly captures what it was like to be a kid in the mythologised ’90s.’ Vice ----‘Elisa Victoria handles the child’s narration dexterously . . . Relying on short, declarative sentences, Victoria has a knack for bringing characters to life in few words.’ New York Times ----‘As a general rule, I am opposed to fiction written from the perspective of a child. It’s not that I’m uninterested in childhood as a concept, or even in children themselves – far from it – but some writers use childhood as a lazy shortcut, an easy way to introduce such broad themes as “innocence lost.” . . . Happily, the Spanish writer Elisa Victoria’s debut novel, Oldladyvoice (translated by Charlotte Whittle), is the exact opposite of this. . . Childhood makes a lot more sense when you remember that children are basically madcap little degenerates, fascinated by their own filth, and I love that Victoria isn’t shy about portraying this.’ Phrasebook ----‘A tender and poignant story, full of light and just the right amount of wickedness.’ El Mundo ----'From the first page, a seductive universe comes into view. It's similar to love at first sight, and there's no need for hesitation, just for the most innocent surrender.' Elvira Linda, El País ----'Good novels find their protagonist's voice and make the reader feel close to them. Such is the case of Oldladyvoice. [...] The magic of Oldladyvoice also lies in its supporting characters (the grandmother, mother and mother's boyfriend) and the conversations they have with Marina, which can make you smile and break your heart in the same line.' Paula de Aguirre, Le Cool Barcelona ----'Marina is firing the last bullets of her childhood, and she does it in a clean, powerful shot of poetry, hope, and zest for life.' Cesar Prieto, Efe Eme music magazine

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Book SynopsisIn post-Communist Romania, on the border with Transylvania, the sleepy little town of B. is losing its young people to the West. A young painter returned from Paris and her eccentric great-aunt seem unconcerned with the decline of the town, until a mutilated corpse is found in the family crypt of Prince Vlad the Impaler, better known as Dracula. As the world’s attention turns to B., the mayor and his son take advantage and turn the town into a vampire-inspired theme park. Tourists flock, but beneath the surface ancient horrors live on. Dracula Park by Dana Grigorcea is a breathtaking, atmospheric tale of revenge, extremism and the longing for a strong leader, for a strict, cruel judge - like Dracula.Trade Review‘An incredible writer.’‘A dreamy and rock-hard horror story.’ * Frankfurter Rundschau *‘An artistic Dracula story, an artist novel, a farce, and it’s all told with great eloquence.’ * SWR 2 *‘Topical and worth reading far beyond Romania.’ * SRF 2 *‘As dizzying as it is poetic and entertaining.’ * Die Presse *

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Book SynopsisÁróra becomes involved in the search for an Icelandic woman who disappeared from her home while making dinner, as she continues to hunt for her missing sister. The second breathtaking instalment in the chilling, addictive An Áróra Investigation series… ‘Icelandic crime-writing at its finest … immersive and unnerving’ Shari Lapena ‘Chilly and chilling … Lilja Sigurðardóttir's terrific investigator Áróra is back for another tense and thrilling read. Highly recommended!' Tariq Ashkanani ‘Lilja Sigurdardottir is rapidly becoming my favourite Icelandic writer. She doesn’t waste a word as she creates her twisty mysteries and her sly sense of humour highlights her clear-eyed view of human nature’ The Times ‘The Icelandic scenery and weather are beautifully evoked – you can almost feel the autumn fog seeping up from the pages – but it is the corkscrew twists that make it both chilling and mesmerising’ Daily Mail _____________________________ When entrepreneur Flosi arrives home for dinner one night, he discovers that his house has been ransacked, and his wife Gudrun missing. A letter on the kitchen table confirms that she has been kidnapped. If Flosi doesn’t agree to pay an enormous ransom, Gudrun will be killed. Forbidden from contacting the police, he gets in touch with Áróra, who specialises in finding hidden assets, and she, alongside her detective friend Daniel, try to get to the bottom of the case without anyone catching on. Meanwhile, Áróra and Daniel continue the puzzling, devastating search for Áróra’s sister Ísafold, who disappeared without trace. As fog descends, in a cold and rainy Icelandic autumn, the investigation becomes increasingly dangerous, and confusing. Chilling, twisty and unbearably tense, Red as Blood is the second instalment in the riveting, addictive An Áróra Investigation series, and everything is at stake… _________________________________ ‘Lilja is a stand-out voice in Iceland Noir’ James Oswald ‘Sure to please Scandi noir fans’ Publishers Weekly ‘One of my new favourite series … Áróra’s brains and brawn, combined with the super-cool Icelandic setting, is a winning combination’ Michael J. Malone ‘So atmospheric’ Crime Monthly ‘Áróra is a wonderful character: unique, passionate, unpredictable and very real’ Michael RidpathPraise for Lilja Sigurðardóttir ‘Another bleak, unpredictable classic’ Metro ‘Intricate, enthralling and very moving – a wonderful crime novel’ William Ryan ‘Three things we love about Cold as Hell: Iceland’s unrelenting midnight sun; the gritty Nordic murder mystery; the peculiar and bewitching characters’ Apple Books 'Smart writing with a strongly beating heart' Big Issue 'Tough, uncompromising and unsettling' Val McDermid 'Tense and pacey' Guardian 'Deftly plotted' Financial Times 'Tense, edgy and delivering more than a few unexpected twists and turns' Sunday Times ‘The intricate plot is breathtakingly original, with many twists and turns you never see coming. Thriller of the year’ New York Journal of Books 'Taut, gritty and thoroughly absorbing' Booklist 'A stunning addition to the icy-cold crime genre' Foreword Reviews

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Book Synopsis

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