van den Berg, Laura

An unputdownable novel of a world spinning rapidly out of control.

These well-crafted and intelligent stories about the many ways a life can be haunted will gratify readers who enjoy perceptive, slightly gothic tales.

Reminiscent of Kazuo Ishiguro's The Unconsoled, this novel has a dreamlike quality that resists narrative structure and logic. Readers are best served by following where it leads rather than trying to solve the mysteries or find definitive answers. [See Prepub Alert, 2/12/18.]

Like Margaret Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale or Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go, van den Berg's debut novel (after two successful story collections) presents a frighteningly plausible near-future dystopia grounded in human elements. Not everything is explained, and things take an increasingly surreal turn in the novel's second half, but Joy's quest, and her need to feel cared for, is heartbreakingly real and compellingly wrought. The book's ambiguous conclusion may lead to rereading as the possibility of multiple interpretations is opened. Highly recommended. [See Prepub Alert, 8/4/14.]