● The Overlook Press

A NOVEL

BY TEA HACIC-VLAHOVIC

Set in the punk–rock scene of the early 2000s, a sharply observed, darkly comic literary novel about how far one young woman will go to find acceptance

Praise for Life of the Party

“Tea Hacic is an MDMA–fueled Oscar Wilde with fake eyelashes and this book is a Fear and Loathing for the late Berlusconi–era; a deep walk of shame that tiptoes between a bewildering Bildungsroman and a fever dream of social climbing and social embarrassment.” —Autre

“As intense as it is dripping with style.” —Publishers Weekly

“Lightness’s inherent weight—the steep price of fleeting pleasure—resonates as the book’s real music.” —Columbia Review

“A voice to watch out for.” —Paper magazine

“The party seduced me, the darkness shocked me, and Mia’s wondrous naïveté uplifted me.” —Flaunt

“Tea recounts with brutal honesty the period in which Milan officially became the Italian city that everyone hates and envies.” —Vice Italy

Kat is dying to be accepted by the North Carolina punks; she is totally desperate to seem cool. At a punk show, she ends up backstage with a rock star and gets noticed by a photojournalist. And then—a dream come true for Kat—her reputation skyrockets the next morning when an online magazine publishes pictures of her backstage, deeming her a groupie icon. But to maintain this notoriety, Kat makes a series of devastating mistakes, and soon enough, she becomes unrecognizable to herself and others. The truth, as always, comes out. Kat had already lost most of her friends by then, and after the Rolling Stones story, she's got no shot at redemption so she runs off to New York City to find the journalist who started this mess in the first place. Tea Hacic–Vlahovic’s A Cigarette Lit Backwards is a sometimes funny, often brutally honest examination of growing up. It’s dark and daring, unflinchingly examining the yearning to be noticed and accepted and the lengths one will go to get there.

Tea Hacic–Vlahovic is a Croatian–American writer based in Los Angeles. She has contributed to numerous publications, including i–D, Dazed, Oyster, Flaunt, and Autre magazines, and also served as a columnist for Vice and Wired Italy, a contributing editor for Wonderland magazine, and the director of Bullett TV. In spring 2020 her first novel, Life of the Party, was released in the United States by Clash Books to critical acclaim. It was an instant bestseller in Italy. AUTHOR PLATFORM: Hacic–Vlahovic (@teahacic) is verified on Instagram and has more than 92,000 very engaged followers. This book should get a lot of attention from the literary, music, and culture press. Hacic–Vlahovic is incredibly media savvy and planning several events to tie into these worlds.

TARGET AUDIENCE: A Cigarette Lit Backwards is sure to find strong readership, especially among readers of Daisy Jones and The Six and fans of Patti Smith, Sleater–Kinney, and Bikini Kill.

FILM INDUSTRY CONNECTION:

Hacic–Vlahovic’s previous novel, Life of the Party, received critical acclaim from Publishers Weekly, Columbia Journal, Paper, Flaunt magazine, Autre, and Vice. It is in development as a film by Indiana Production, for which Hacic–Vlahovic is on board as executive producer, cowriter, and creative consultant.

SPECIFICATIONS

*240 pages *WIDTH: 5 1/2" - 140mm *HEIGHT: 8 1/4" - 210mm

*Hardcover with jacket

PUB MONTH: SEPTEMBER

FICTION

ISBN 978-1-4197-6289-5

US $26.00 CAN $33.00 UK £18.99 ËxHSLELJy762895z

ebook ISBN 978-1-64700-733-1

A NOVEL

BY BELLA MACKIE

A darkly humorous debut novel that follows a cunning antihero as she gets her revenge

UK Praise for How to Kill Your Family

“I’ve struggled to recover my reading mojo since lockdown. This turned out to be the thing that sparked it back to life . . . Funny, sharp, dark and twisted, Grace is a character I found myself rooting for even as she committed the most vile misdeeds.” —Jojo Moyes

“You’ll be gripped . . . Grace’s emotional detachment throughout will give you chills.” —Cosmopolitan (UK)

“Hilarious and dark.” —Elle (UK)

“Chilling, but also laugh out loud funny. [A] corker of a debut.” —Sunday Telegraph

“An antiheroine able to best villainous male protagonists such as Patrick Bateman any day.” —the Observer

When I think about what I actually did, I feel somewhat sad that nobody will ever know about the complex operation that I undertook. Getting away with it is highly preferable, of course, but perhaps when I’m long gone, someone will open an old safe and find this confession. The public would reel. After all, almost nobody else in the world can possibly understand how someone, by the tender age of 28, can have calmly killed six members of her family. And then happily got on with the rest of her life, never to regret a thing. When Grace Bernard discovers her absentee millionaire father has rejected her dying mother’s pleas for help, she vows revenge and coldly sets out to get her retribution—by killing them all, one by one. Compulsively readable, Bella Mackie’s debut novel is driven by a captivating first–person narrator who talks of “self–care” and social media while calmly walking the reader through her increasingly baroque acts of murder. But then, Grace is imprisoned for a murder she didn’t commit. Outrageously funny, compulsive, and subversive, How to Kill Your Family is a wickedly dark romp about class, family, love . . . and murder.

Bella Mackie is freelance journalist and columnist at Vogue UK. Previously, she was a commissioning editor at the Guardian and deputy editor at Vice News. She has also written for Vogue, the Daily Mail, Vice, the Guardian, Stylist, and GQ. She lives in London. UK BESTSELLER: How to Kill Your Family reached #1 on the Sunday Times bestsellers list in the summer of 2021, and has spent six weeks in the top ten. It was also well reviewed by the Observer, Sunday Telegraph, and Cosmopolitan (UK).

SCARY–GOOD READING: This is a deliciously dark debut that features a memorable psychopathic female narrator.

KEY AUDIENCE: For fans of Killing Eve and My Sister, the Serial Killer.

SPECIFICATIONS

*368 pages *WIDTH: 6" - 152mm *HEIGHT: 9" - 229mm

*Hardcover with jacket

PUB MONTH: AUGUST

FICTION

ISBN 978-1-4197-6418-9

US $27.00 ËxHSLELJy764189z

ebook ISBN 978-1-64700-810-9

A NOVEL

BY KOTARO ISAKA

By the internationally bestselling author of Bullet Train, the high–octane new thriller, set in Tokyo’s criminal underworld, pits an ordinary man against a group of talented and very unusual assassins

Praise for Bullet Train

“Fueled by a seductively explosive premise, it’s fast, deadly and loads of fun.” —John Powers, NPR’s Fresh Air

“The action moves fast––just like the bullet train of the title. Kotaro Isaka will definitely keep you guessing to the end . . .” —Collider

“Breakneck pacing, masterful character development, and well–timed comic relief set Isaka’s pitch–perfect (and seamlessly translated) thriller up for blockbuster status.” —Kirkus, starred review

“Isaka keeps the suspense high throughout. Fans of intricate action fiction will be enthralled.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review

“By turns vicious, philosophical, and wickedly funny, [a]whip–smart thriller. —Criminal Element

“Unlike anything you’re likely to have read before . . . white–hot with double–crosses.” —Financial Times

“Entertaining . . . high–speed . . . with lots of twists and turns . . . has a Tarantino–meets–the–Coen–Brothers feel to it.” —the Times (London)

Three Assassins is the high–stakes, high–style, and utterly propulsive follow–up to Kotaro Isaka’s international bestseller, Bullet Train, a Crime Reads "Most Anticipated Book of 2021." Suzuki is an ordinary man until his wife is murdered. To get answers and his revenge, Suzuki abandons his law–abiding lifestyle and takes a low–level job with a front company operated by the crime gang Maiden, who are responsible for his wife’s death. Before long, Suzuki finds himself caught up in a network of quirky and highly effective assassins: The Cicada is a knife expert. The Pusher nudges people into oncoming traffic. The Whale whispers bleak aphorisms to his victims until they take their own lives. Intense and electrifying, Three Assassins delivers a wild ride through the criminal underworld of Tokyo, populated by contract killers who are almost superhumanly good at their jobs.

Kotaro Isaka is a bestselling and award–winning writer whose books have sold millions of copies around the world. He has won the Shincho Mystery Club Award, Mystery Writers of Japan Award, Japan Booksellers' Award, and the Yamamoto Shugoro Prize. His novel Bullet Train is soon to be a major film from Sony starring Brad Pitt. PERFECT FOLLOW–UP: Packs the same punch and brings the same propulsive, tense, and witty style as Bullet Train, which received great reviews and sales in the United States and is soon to be a film from Sony starring Brad Pitt.

UPCOMING MOVIE OF

PREVIOUS NOVEL: Both the Bullet Train film and Overlook Press’ paperback MTI will release in Spring 2022, acting as a powerful lead–up and catalyst for Three Assassins.

BIG OPPORTUNITY WITH INTERNATIONAL

BESTSELLING AUTHOR: Isaka is the author of numerous massive Japanese and international bestsellers, and we have an enormous opportunity to turn him into a bestselling author stateside.

SPECIFICATIONS

*288 pages *WIDTH: 6" - 152mm

*HEIGHT: 9" - 229mm

*Hardcover with jacket

PUB MONTH: AUGUST

FICTION

ISBN 978-1-4197-6385-4

US $27.00 CAN $34.00

ËxHSLELJy763854z

ebook ISBN 978-1-64700-782-9

A NOVEL

BY MICHAEL X. WANG

From a rising literary star, an epic historical novel, set against the tense backdrop of the Long March and Mao’s rise to power, that tells a powerful and moving story of two ordinary people

Praise for Further News of Defeat

“Further News of Defeat brilliantly explore the deepest themes inherent in every human being and in most great literature: our yearning for a self, for an identity, for a place in the universe. This is a remarkable debut by a gifted new artist.” —Robert Olen Butler, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of A Good Scent from a Strange Mountain

“Michael X. Wang reveals a remarkable ability to move fluidly through time periods and points of view, all with such a clear and vibrant voice . . . then sing on a sentence level while also illuminating the world at large.” —Aimee Bender, award–winning author of The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

“. . . as a storyteller, Wang’s sensitivity is evident. Wang, who was born in the small coal–mining village of Fenyang in Shanxi Province and immigrated to the U.S. as a child, attends to the book’s inquiries with heart.” —The Carolina Quarterly

“Wang blends fictional towns and figures with real events, like the Tiananmen Square massacre, to construct a range of stories downright epic in scope.” —Pittsburgh Quarterly

“A beautiful, assured, and unforgettable debut.” —Porter Shreve, author of The End of the Book China, 1934: A naive orphan and shy gunsmith, Ping, has fallen in love with Yong, who is a sophisticated veteran, a skilled marksman, and a true believer in Marxist ideology. Winning her affections will take an ideological battle— something he does not understand. To make matters worse, Yong has shown interest in Ping’s best friend, Luo. On the eve of a great Communist defeat, Ping sabotages Luo’s rifle, causing the bullet to backfire into his friend’s head. The army begins its year–long retreat, known as The Long March, and Yong turns to Ping for comfort and companionship. Ping deeply regrets killing his friend, and as his relationship with Yong blossoms, he is saddened that it will always be colored by guilt. Yong soon becomes pregnant. She hates the way the baby inside is changing her, both physically and emotionally. The Red Army can’t retreat with a crying infant, so they need to find someone close to take the baby in. Ping and Yong leave their son with a woman, promising to return once the war is won. When World War II breaks out and Japanese soldiers arrive, their 12–year–old son decides to enlist in the Japanese army to find his parents, though he quickly begins to fear for his life . . . Deeply moving and brilliantly written, Michael X. Wang’s Lost in the Long March is an exploration of how the history of a country is always its people, though their stories are often the first to be lost.

Michael X. Wang was born in Fenyang, a small coal–mining city in China’s mountainous Shanxi province. His short story collection, Further News of Defeat, won the 2021 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection and was a finalist for the 2021 CLMP Firecracker Award for Fiction. Wang immigrated to the United States when he was six and has lived in 10 states and 15 cities. In 2010 he completed his PhD in literature at Florida State University. Before that, he received his MFA in fiction at Purdue. Wang’s work has appeared in the New England Review, Greensboro Review, Day One, and Juked, among others. He is currently an assistant professor of English and creative writing at Arkansas Tech University and lives in Russellville, Arkansas. RISING STAR: Wang’s short story collection, Further News of Defeat, won the 2021 PEN/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Short Story Collection and was a finalist for the 2021 CLMP Firecracker Award for Fiction. Lost in the Long March, his debut novel, is sure to garner attention and find readers.

HISTORICAL INTEREST: Wang was born in China and is invested in writing stories centered on Chinese history that bring it to life through ordinary people. This novel is perfect for readers interested in historical fiction about China, the Long March, and World War II.

TARGET AUDIENCE:Lost in the Long March will appeal to readers of Maxine Hong Kingston’s The Woman Warrior and Ling Ma’s Severance.

SPECIFICATIONS

*288 pages *WIDTH: 6" - 152mm

*HEIGHT: 9" - 229mm

*Hardcover with jacket

PUB MONTH: OCTOBER

FICTION

ISBN 978-1-4197-5975-8

US $27.00 CAN $34.00 UK £20.00

ËxHSLELJy759758z

ebook ISBN 978-1-64700-583-2

A NOVEL

BY LARS MYTTING

The second novel in the internationally bestselling Sister Bells trilogy, an epic, moving, and gloriously told historical novel following The Bell in the Lake, an Indie Next pick

Praise for Lars Mytting

“Lars Mytting writes with an insight, empathy, and

integrity few others can match.” —Jo Nesbø, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Harry Hole crime

series

Praise for The Bell in the Lake

“Mytting has created something beautiful, a perfect

evocation of a place and a culture, a melding of old

Norse tradition with the encroaching modern world . .

. every element of the setting and those who inhabit it

is crafted with consummate skill. This first in a trilogy

will have readers eagerly awaiting the next by this

accomplished author.” —Booklist, starred review

“Its magic pure and its mysteries primordial, Lars

Mytting’s novel The Bell in the Lake is a tour de force.

. . . Both heartbreaking and awe–inspiring, The Bell in the Lake is an unforgettable novel that celebrates

untamed faith.” —Foreword Reviews, starred reviews

“Beautiful. . . . Mytting’s novel was based on local

stories, but it is his evoking of the parsonage interior,

the turn of the seasons, and their physical impress on

man and beast that give this book its vividness.”

—Historical Novels Review The second novel in Lars Mytting’s powerful and compelling Sister Bells trilogy, The Reindeer Hunters is both a sequel

to The Bell in the Lake and a stand–alone novel. Set again in fictional Butangen, Norway, where the story of the

conjoined twin sisters Halfrid and Gunhild Hekne provides the mythical and mystical undergirding, The Reindeer Hunters unfolds around the extraordinary tapestry that portrays the sisters’ vision of Doomsday. After their death in

1613, the tapestry was given to the village church and lost at some point over the centuries.

The year is 1903. Twenty–two years after the events of The Bell in The Lake, Astrid Hekne’s son, Jehans, is now a

young man. Driven out by his family, he lives on a homestead in the mountains near the village of Butangen, where he

relishes the freedom of his life apart, fishing and hunting for his livelihood. One August morning, Jehans kills a massive

reindeer and at the same moment encounters an enigmatic hunter . . .

At the new church in Butangen, Pastor Kai Schweigaard is living with the consequences of his past betrayal––

arranging the dismantling and sale of the stave church––including deaths and the loss of the church’s mystical sister

bells. Kai becomes obsessed with finding the ancient tapestry woven by the conjoined sisters in whose memory the

bells were cast, with the hope that the tapestry will bring him redemption.

Despite the unraveling legends from the past that continue to haunt these people, they must figure out how to look to

the future. A magnificent story about love, sorrow, and courage, as well as taming waterfalls and the first flash of

electric light in the village night, The Reindeer Hunters is a grand and thrilling novel about what it takes to live in and

embrace a new era.

Lars Mytting, one of Norway's bestselling writers, is the author of The Bell in the Lake, The Sixteen Trees of the Somme, and Norwegian Wood. His books, which have sold more than one million copies in

19 languages, have won the Norwegian Bookseller Prize and have been longlisted for the prestigious

Dublin Literary Prize, among others. STRONG SERIES START: The Bell in the Lake has received

great coverage that indicates a

lot of interest in the series. The

hardcover edition was selected

as an October Indie Next Pick

and was featured in the October

2020 Indie Next list flyer, the

September issue of Bookselling

This Week, and the ABA’s

e–newsletter.

INTERNATIONALLY

BESTSELLING AUTHOR: The Reindeer Hunters was a #1

bestseller in Norway for more

than three months. Mytting’s

books have sold more than one

million copies worldwide and

have been published in 19

languages.

PRIZE–WINNING NOVELIST:

Mytting won the Norwegian

Bookseller Prize for The Bell in the Lake and was longlisted for

the prestigious Dublin IMPAC

Prize.

COINCIDES WITH PAPERBACK OF BOOK ONE: The publication

of The Reindeer Hunters will

coincide with the paperback

publication of The Bell in the Lake.

SPECIFICATIONS

*400 pages

*WIDTH: 6" - 152mm

*HEIGHT: 9" - 229mm

*Hardcover with jacket

PUB MONTH: OCTOBER

FICTION

ISBN 978-1-4197-5977-2

US $28.00 CAN $35.00

ËxHSLELJy759772z

ebook ISBN 978-1-64700-584-9

AN AGENT JOHN ADDERLEY NOVEL

BY PETER MOHLIN & PETER NYSTRÖM

The highly anticipated follow–up to the acclaimed Scandi–noir thriller The Bucket List

Praise for The Bucket List

“Boosted by smooth and deft translation by Ian Giles, The Bucket List . . . weaves in lively side episodes of passion and pretense . . . The only thing better than the pleasure of this suspenseful and tightly plotted ‘Scandi noir’ investigation is knowing there’s a sequel on the way.” —New York Journal of Books

“Scandinavian noir at its finest . . . This is the kind of book that grabs you from the very first page and keeps you firmly in its grip until the thrilling and unexpected conclusion. It’s dark and gritty, and so gripping that you can’t stop until the mystery is solved . . . The Bucket List is a tour de force blend of mystery and intrigue.” —Fansided

“An engrossing debut . . . Evocative questions about family and professional expectations help ground this knotty, plausible story, articulating the mistakes people make with the ones they love. Scandi noir fans will look forward to this complex lead’s further adventures.” —Publishers Weekly

“The Bucket List is a classic Nordic noir thriller—tight, layered, and so chilly that it shivers. . . Subtle psychological elements make each scene rich . . . an ambitious crime thriller that crosses a decade of secrets, lies, and family stories.” —Foreword Reviews Alicia Bjelke has always been the “other sister,” the foil to her beautiful sister Stella—people turn their backs when they see Alicia’s disfigured face. So she created a life in the background, becoming a coding genius and founding a groundbreaking dating app company. With Stella as the face of the company, Alicia has found success. Until one day, when Stella is found dead and Alicia’s life takes the wrong turn. Soon, she realizes that she is the next target. The case is given to former FBI agent John Adderley, who is still in Karlstad under a new identity. He is haunted by shadows of his past and is about to leave Sweden when the game plan changes. Instead of running, he is forced to once and for all face his past, and the murder investigation gives him a way out. If he can go through with his plan, he might have a shot at the freedom he has so long wanted to have. But is it too late? In a successful mix of high–octane suspense and psychological depth, authors Peter Mohlin and Peter Nyström deliver a thrilling sequel in the John Adderley series. The Other Sister is an ambitious crime thriller that is tight, layered, and gripping from start to finish. Peter Mohlin and Peter Nyström grew up together in a small Swedish town and created their first crime novel when they were ten. After careers in journalism and directing/screenwriting, respectively, they decided to pick up where they left off and write crime novels together, realizing their strengths make a fruitful combination–the journalist’s sharp pen mixed with the screenwriter’s sense of dramaturgy and dialogue. The Bucket List, their first novel, was a winner of Sweden’s Crimetime Award for Best Debut Novel and has been sold in 15 countries. They are based in Sweden.

THRILLING SECOND

INSTALLMENT: This is the second book in the gripping John Adderley series, publishing to coincide with the paperback edition of the first book, The Bucket List.

FRESH TAKE ON CLASSIC

NORDIC NOIR: The John Adderley series combines the best aspects of the region’s classic police procedurals with unexpected twists and a bold, modern protagonist. The second book in the series builds on everything fans loved in the first book.

AMERICAN CONNECTION: The protagonist is a Swedish–American FBI agent from New York, a link that ties the book’s international appeal to the US market.

FANTASTIC PUBLISHER

PEDIGREE: This series comes from Norstedts in Sweden, the publisher of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

SPECIFICATIONS

*304 pages *WIDTH: 6" - 152mm *HEIGHT: 9" - 229mm

*Hardcover with jacket

PUB MONTH: NOVEMBER

FICTION

ISBN 978-1-4197-5299-5

US $27.00 CAN $34.00 UK £20.00 ËxHSLELJy752995z

ebook ISBN 978-1-64700-228-2

AN AGENT JOHN ADDERLEY NOVEL

BY PETER MOHLIN AND PETER NYSTRÖM

A brilliant new Scandinavian noir series from Sweden introducing Agent John Adderley, already sold in 15 countries—now in paperback

Praise for The Bucket List

“Boosted by smooth and deft translation by Ian Giles, The Bucket List . . . weaves in lively side episodes of passion and pretense...The only thing better than the pleasure of this suspenseful and tightly plotted ‘Scandi noir’ investigation is knowing there’s a sequel on the way.” —New York Journal of Books

“Scandinavian noir at its finest . . . This is the kind of book that grabs you from the very first page and keeps you firmly in its grip until the thrilling and unexpected conclusion. It’s dark and gritty, and so gripping that you can’t stop until the mystery is solved . . . The Bucket List is a tour de force blend of mystery and intrigue.” —Fansided

“An engrossing debut . . . Evocative questions about family and professional expectations help ground this knotty, plausible story, articulating the mistakes people make with the ones they love. Scandi noir fans will look forward to this complex lead’s further adventures.” —Publishers Weekly

“The Bucket List is a classic Nordic noir thriller—tight, layered, and so chilly that it shivers . . . Subtle psychological elements make each scene rich . . . an ambitious crime thriller that crosses a decade of secrets, lies, and family stories.” —Foreword Reviews The Bucket List is the gripping debut novel by writing team Peter Mohlin and Peter Nyström, launching a stunning new Nordic noir series featuring Swedish–American FBI Agent John Adderley. Like the best writers of the genre, such as Henning Mankell and Jo Nesbø, Mohlin & Nyström combine a strong crime story with a novel of psychological richness and depth for an irresistible read. The Bucket List starts when undercover FBI Agent John Adderley wakes up in a hospital bed in Baltimore with extensive gunshot wounds. He knows he’s lucky to be alive. And just a few beds away is the man who 24 hours ago pointed a gun to his head. Ten years earlier in Sweden, Emelie, the young heiress to (an H&M–esque) clothing empire AckWe has gone missing. When local police find blood and semen in a deserted area, they arrest a teenage boy. He denies the charges, and since the body is never found, he can’t be prosecuted. Back to the present, Emelie’s high–profile cold case file is sent to Agent Adderley, now living in Sweden (where he’s not lived since he was a boy) in witness protection, hiding until he can testify against the drug cartel he infiltrated back in the States. Adderley is determined to solve Emelie’s case, but, at the same time, he knows that the drug cartel has a price on his head . . . Peter Mohlin and Peter Nyström grew up together in a small Swedish town and created their first crime novel as ten–year–olds. After careers in journalism and directing/screenwriting, respectively, they decided to pick up where they left off and write crime novels together, realizing their strengths make a fruitful combination: the journalist’s sharp pen mixed with the screenwriter’s sense of dramaturgy and dialogue. The Bucket List, their first novel, is a winner of Sweden’s Crimetime Award for Best Debut Novel and has been sold in 15 countries. The second novel in the John Adderley series, The Other Sister, is forthcoming from The Overlook Press.

UNPUTDOWNABLE START TO

THE SERIES: The Bucket List is the first in a brilliant and internationally bestselling new crime series, published in 15 countries, featuring Swedish–American FBI Agent John Adderley.

FRESH TAKE ON CLASSIC

NORDIC NOIR: The Bucket List combines all the best aspects of the region’s classic police procedurals with unexpected twists and a bold, modern protagonist.

SECOND BOOK

FORTHCOMING: The paperback edition of The Bucket List is publishing to coincide with the second book in the series, The Other Sister, coming October 2022.

SPECIFICATIONS

*400 pages *WIDTH: 5 1/2" - 140mm *HEIGHT: 8 1/4" - 210mm

*Paperback

PUB MONTH: OCTOBER

FICTION

ISBN 978-1-4197-5219-3

US $17.00 CAN $22.00 UK £11.99 ËxHSLELJy752193z

ebook ISBN 978-1-64700-196-4

A NOVEL

BY LARS MYTTING

The engrossing epic novel—a #1 bestseller in Norway—of a young woman whose fate plays out against her village’s mystical church bells—now in paperback

Praise for Lars Mytting

“Lars Mytting writes with an insight, empathy, and integrity few others can match.” —Jo Nesbø, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Harry Hole crime series

Praise for The Bell in the Lake

“Mytting has created something beautiful, a perfect evocation of a place and a culture, a melding of old Norse tradition with the encroaching modern world . . . every element of the setting and those who inhabit it is crafted with consummate skill. This first in a trilogy will have readers eagerly awaiting the next by this accomplished author.” —Booklist, starred review

“Its magic pure and its mysteries primordial, Lars Mytting’s novel The Bell in the Lake is a tour de force. . . . Both heartbreaking and awe–inspiring, The Bell in the Lake is an unforgettable novel that celebrates untamed faith.” —Foreword Reviews, starred reviews

“Beautiful. . . . Mytting’s novel was based on local stories, but it is his evoking of the parsonage interior, the turn of the seasons, and their physical impress on man and beast that give this book its vividness.” —Historical Novels Review As long as people could remember, the stave church’s bells had rung over the isolated village of Butangen, Norway. Cast in memory of conjoined twins, the bells are said to ring on their own in times of danger. In 1879, young pastor Kai Schweigaard moves to the village, where young Astrid Hekne yearns for a modern life. She sees a way out on the arm of the new pastor, who needs a tie to the community to cull favor for his plan for the old stave church, with its pagan deity effigies and supernatural bells. When the pastor makes a deal that brings an outsider, a sophisticated German architect, into their world, the village and Astrid are caught between past and future, as dark forces come into play. Lars Mytting, bestselling author of Norwegian Wood, brings his deep knowledge of history, carpentry, fishing, and stave churches to this compelling historical novel, an international bestseller sold in 12 countries. With its broad–canvas narrative about the intersection of religion, superstition, and duty, The Bell in the Lake is an irresistible story of ancient times and modern challenges, by a powerful international voice. Lars Mytting, Norway’s bestselling novelist, is the author of Norwegian Wood. His books, which have sold more than one million copies in 19 languages, have won the Norwegian Bookseller Prize and have been shortlisted for the prestigious Dublin IMPAC Prize, among others. The Bell in the Lake has been sold in 12 countries and was a #1 bestseller in Norway.

PUBLISHING WITH NEXT IN

TRILOGY: Publishing to coincide with the second book in the internationally bestselling Sister Bells trilogy, coming from The Overlook Press in Fall 2022.

INDIE NEXT PICK: The Bell in the Lake hardcover edition was selected as an October Indie Next Pick, and was featured in the October 2020 Indie Next list flyer, the September issue of Bookselling This Week, and the ABA’s e–newsletter.

INTERNATIONALLY BESTSELLING AUTHOR:

Mytting’s books have sold over one million copies worldwide and have been published in 19 languages; he is one of Norway’s bestselling authors.

PRIZE–WINNING NOVELIST:

Mytting has won the Norwegian Bookseller Prize for The Bell in the Lake and was longlisted for the prestigious Dublin Literary Prize.

SPECIFICATIONS

*400 pages *WIDTH: 5 1/2" - 140mm *HEIGHT: 8 1/4" - 210mm

*Paperback

PUB MONTH: SEPTEMBER

FICTION

ISBN 978-1-4197-5163-9

US $17.00 CAN $22.00 ËxHSLELJy751639z

ebook ISBN 978-1-68335-819-0

A NOVEL

BY LAURA IMAI MESSINA

The international bestselling novel, sold in 21 countries, about grief, mourning, and the joy of survival, inspired by a real phone booth in Japan with its disconnected “wind” phone, a place of pilgrimage and solace since the 2011 tsunami—now in paperback

Praise for The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World

“A must–read . . . Messina writes in a way that’s evocative of Kazuo Ishiguro but in an opposite way: While Ishiguro leads with comfort and hints at the sadness to come, Messina offers grief and sadness first but offers the reader a train of breadcrumbs toward future happiness.” —Kirkus, starred review

“A tender tribute to grief and what it teaches us. . . . The phone booth is a magical place that not only connects the living to the dead but also the living to the living.” —Bookpage

“Carefully told and with great care, this feels a particularly resonating story right now.” —Stylist

“Spare and poetic, this beautiful book is both a small, quiet love story and a vast, expansive meditation on grieving and loss.” —Heat

“Astonishment . . . a quiet, contemplative, and gripping tale [that] provides a message of hope and endurance.” —the Christian Science Monitor

“Moving and heart–breaking, Yui’s story—and that of the Wind Phone—is equally uplifting and heart–warming.” —Asian Review of Books

“Thoughtful and tender, full of small daily moments and acts of kindness, Messina’s novel is a testament to the power of community (and a bit of whimsy) in moving forward after loss.” —Shelf Awareness

When Yui loses both her mother and her daughter in the tsunami, she begins to mark the passage of time from that date onward: Everything is relative to March 11, 2011, the day the tsunami tore Japan apart, and when grief took hold of her life. Yui struggles to continue on, alone with her pain. Then, one day she hears about a man who has an old disused telephone booth in his garden. There, those who have lost loved ones find the strength to speak to them and begin to come to terms with their grief. As news of the phone booth spreads, people travel to it from miles around. Soon Yui makes her own pilgrimage to the phone booth, too. But once there she cannot bring herself to speak into the receiver. Instead she finds Takeshi, a bereaved husband whose own daughter has stopped talking in the wake of her mother’s death. Simultaneously heartbreaking and heartwarming, The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World is the signpost pointing to the healing that can come after. Laura Imai Messina is an Italian novelist born and raised in Rome. She earned her PhD in comparative studies from Tokyo University of Foreign Studies and lives in Japan with her husband and two children. The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World, sold in 21 countries and an international bestseller, is her English–language debut.

INTERNATIONALLY

ACCLAIMED DEBUT:The Phone Booth at the Edge of the World has sold in 21 countries.

A UNIVERSAL STORY: This novel tells the universal story of dealing with grief and calamity as a part of the human condition, which will resonate powerfully in the current global climate.

STRONG BOOKSELLER

RESPONSE: Independent bookstores are giving strong positive feedback for the hardcover edition, and the book will be featured on Reading Group Choices for March, as well as part of the Winter Reading Challenge by BookSparks.

FEATURED ON NPR: Inspired by Japan’s real–life “Wind Phone,” which was featured in the episode “One Last Thing Before I Go” on NPR’s This American Life.

READER’S GROUP GUIDE:

There will be a reader’s group guide included in the back of the paperback edition.

SPECIFICATIONS

*416 pages *WIDTH: 5 1/2" - 140mm *HEIGHT: 8 1/4" - 210mm

*Paperback

PUB MONTH: OCTOBER

FICTION

ISBN 978-1-4197-5431-9

US $16.00 CAN $20.00 ËxHSLELJy754319z

ebook ISBN 978-1-64700-357-9

A NOVEL

BY ROBERT REULAND

A hard–edged literary thriller about a racially charged police shooting, by one of “crime fiction’s most gifted writers” (George Pelecanos)—now in paperback

Praise for Brooklyn Supreme

“Riveting. . . grapple[s] with hot–button issues . . . The resulting panorama, informed by Reuland’s work as a prosecutor and criminal defense attorney, drips with cynicism.” —Sarah Weinman, the New York Times Book Review

“Robert Reuland brings a heartfelt seriousness to the pursuit of justice in his powerful third novel. . . This sustained compelling storytelling like Lehane and French. . . lifts Brooklyn Supreme far above a conventional cop or legal novel into tormented wrestling with the flaws of our time.” —the New York Journal of Books

“A ballsy deep dive into the same toxic morass [Tom] Wolfe once swam in . . . the viewpoint remains steadfast. . . this one’s smelling like a winner.” —Mystery Scene Magazine

“The raw social commentary is as powerful as brass knuckles to the skull and the gritty existentialism palpable . . . assured prose and a strong ending.” —Publishers Weekly

No one knows better than Will Way that it’s not so easy to get out of Brooklyn. Seeking escape, Will finds possible upward mobility in a relationship with Regine Pomeroy, the daughter of Brooklyn Supreme Court Judge Henry K. Pomeroy. But Regine is a troubled young woman, and one day Will is called upon by her father to fix a situation that proves beyond fixing. Two decades later, Will has returned to the borough and, like many of his peers, joined the NYPD. Now it’s his job to get beat cops out of trouble—cops like Georgina Lee, an inexperienced officer who shot and killed an African American teenager after he robbed a bodega. But when it turns out the perpetrator might not have been armed, Lee’s case becomes a publicity firestorm. Several men vying for higher office in Brooklyn use it to further their ambitions, and Will finds himself caught not only in the bureaucracy of the NYPD and Brooklyn politics, but also in his deeply confused conscience. As he tries to unravel so many different versions of the truth, Will’s past catches up with him; his distant father and Regine Pomeroy reenter his life, and her father tries to capitalize on the case for political gain. As lines are drawn across the city, Will must make decisions he never expected he would have to make, whose outcomes will cost him dearly. Brooklyn Supreme is a clear–eyed exploration of the fault lines of class, gender, and race in America, and a stunning portrayal of Brooklyn’s justice system. A standout crime novel by a writer with an undeniable gift, Brooklyn Supreme is a gritty and gut–wrenching read.

Robert Reuland is a writer and criminal defense attorney. A graduate of Cambridge University and the Vanderbilt University School of Law, he worked in the litigation departments of two major Wall Street law firms before becoming a senior assistant district attorney in Brooklyn, where he was assigned to the homicide bureau for many years. He now heads a private practice where he specializes in murder defense at trial and in exonerating persons wrongfully convicted. He is the author of the highly praised Hollowpoint and Semiautomatic, and Brooklyn Supreme is his third novel. He lives in Brooklyn.

WELL–REVIEWED IN

HARDCOVER: The hardcover edition has received glowing praise from the New York Times Book Review, the New York Journal of Books, and Mystery Scene Magazine.

ACCLAIMED NOVELIST:

Reuland’s work has been praised by Dennis Lehane, Kathy Reichs, Alan Furst, James Patterson, and Marilyn Stasio of the New York Times Book Review, among others.

STANDS ALONGSIDE THE

BEST IN THE GENRE: With Brooklyn Supreme, Reuland does for Brooklyn what George Pelecanos did for Washington, D.C., Richard Price for the Lower East Side, and Dennis Lehane for Boston.

MODERN CRIME NOVEL:

Reuland tackles the complicated topics of police brutality and political cover–ups in Brooklyn Supreme, making it a timely read for today’s crime fan.

SPECIFICATIONS

*368 pages *WIDTH: 5 1/2" - 140mm *HEIGHT: 8 1/4" - 210mm

*Paperback

PUB MONTH: NOVEMBER

FICTION

ISBN 978-1-4197-5066-3

US $17.00 CAN $21.00 ËxHSLELJy750663z

ebook ISBN 978-1-64700-118-6

A NOVEL

BY BRAD KESSLER

A powerfully moving novel about the intertwined lives of a Vermont monk, a

Somali refugee, and an Afghan war veteran, by the author of the acclaimed memoir Goat Song—now in paperback

Praise for North

“The characters’ moving stories coalesce into yet another winning effort from a consistently impressive writer.” —Publishers Weekly

“Compelling and compassionate . . . Taut with suspense and eloquent insights, North is a novel of extraordinary scope.” —Foreword Reviews

“A powerful novel that confronts us with how we treat refugees and if we are doing enough to support them . . .This is a novel you will think about long after you have finished reading it.” —the Albany Times Unions

“In Brad Kessler’s fine new novel, North . . . the seemingly disparate lives that converge on a snowy Vermont night— Sahro, a Somali refugee seeking asylum, and Father Christopher, the abbot of a mountain monastery—are woven together with intricate threads of home, flight, sanctuary, danger, hope, faith, storytelling and much more.” —Shelf Awareness

“North is a powerful, memorable, tender meditation on the fate of immigrants worldwide. . . . I love this book. I couldn’t put it down.” —Uwem Akpan, author of Say You’re One of Them, winner of the PEN Open Book Award and an Oprah’s Book Club pick

“A beautiful and moving tale, Kessler’s North is tender, dazzling, and wise.” —Annie Dillard

As a late spring blizzard brews, Brother Christopher, a cloistered monk at Blue Mountain Monastery in Vermont, rushes to tend to his Ida Red and Northern Spy apple trees in advance of the unseasonal snowstorm. When the storm lands a young Somali refugee, Sahro Abdi Muse, at the monastery, Christopher is pulled back into the world as his life intersects with Sahro’s and that of an Afghan war veteran in surprising and revealing ways. North traces the epic journey of Sahro from her home in Somalia to South America, along the migrant route through Central America and Mexico, to New York City, and finally, her dangerous attempt to continue north to safety in Canada. It also compellingly traces the inner journeys of Brother Christopher, questioning his future in a world where the monastery way of life is waning, and of veteran Teddy Fletcher, seeking a way to make peace with his past. Written in Brad Kessler’s sharp, beautiful, and observant prose, and grounded in the author’s own corner of Vermont, where there is a Carthusian monastery, a vibrant community of Somali asylum seekers, and a hole left after a disproportionate number of Vermont soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, North gives voice to these invisible communities, delivering a story of human connection in a time of displacement.

Brad Kessler is the author of two critically acclaimed novels, Lick Creek and Birds in Fall, which was a recipient of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize, and a memoir, Goat Song. He has been awarded a Whiting Award, a National Endowment for the Arts Fellowship, and the Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His work has appeared in The New Yorker, The Nation, the Kenyon Review, and BOMB. He lives in Vermont.

AWARD–WINNING AUTHOR:

Kessler is the recipient of the Dayton Literary Peace Prize in fiction, the Rome Prize from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, a Whiting Writers’ Award, a National Endowment for the Arts fellowship, and the Lange–Taylor Prize from Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies.

LIVED EXPERIENCES: Kessler has been deeply involved with the refugee community in Vermont and attended the Harvard Program in Refugee Trauma. The novel, and the details of the life of the character Sahro, have been vetted by people he knows and has worked closely with in the Vermont refugee community.

TIMELY SUBJECT: North is informed by themes of global exile in a changing world, as well as Kessler’s own experiences in Vermont with refugees and the families of soldiers killed in action.

LAUDED IN HARDCOVER:

North was featured in the Boston Globe and the Burlington Free Press, and on WAMC’s show The Roundtable, and received glowing praise from trade magazines. Kessler did events with many indie bookstores, and the Center for Fiction hosted an event with Kessler and Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Lynn Nottage.

SPECIFICATIONS

*288 pages *WIDTH: 5 1/2" - 140mm *HEIGHT: 8 1/4" - 210mm

*Paperback

PUB MONTH: OCTOBER

FICTION

ISBN 978-1-4197-5043-4

US $16.00 CAN $20.00 ËxHSLELJy750434z

ebook ISBN 978-1-64700-108-7

A NOVEL

BY VICTORIA MAS

A New York Times best historical novel of the year, adapted as a major film for Amazon Prime, this feminist literary thriller is set in Paris's infamous Salpêtrière asylum—now in paperback

Praise for The Mad Women’s Ball

“Frank Wynne’s translation . . . has a cinematic, increasingly Gothic, aura . . . the stage is set for a brooding psychodrama.” —the New York Times Book Review

“In this darkly delightful Gothic treasure, Mas explores grief, trauma, and sisterhood behind the walls of Paris’s infamous Salpêtrière hospital.” —Paula Hawkins, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Girl on the Train

“A fast–paced read that grabs you from the start . . .” —Fansided

“. . . Mas’s dark tale will have readers transfixed.” —Publishers Weekly

“Intriguing, original, and captivating . . . a dark reminder of what it was like to be a woman in previous centuries.” —the Girly BookClub

“This short first novel by French writer Mas highlights the plight of powerless women and is set in an interesting era in which the burgeoning sciences of psychiatry and neurology exist uneasily alongside spiritualism.” —Booklist

“Deeply humane, well–researched thriller . . . short but powerful . . .” —Criminal Element

“An underlying theme of spiritualism heightens the intrigue while the well–researched historical details paint a rich atmosphere.” —Mystery Scene Magazine

“Electrifying . . . a magnetic historical novel.” —Foreword Reviews, starred review

“Picturesque tale of female empowerment, gender identity, and liberation.” —Create & Cultivate

The Salpêtrière Asylum: Paris, 1885. Dr. Charcot holds all of Paris in thrall with his displays of hypnotism on women who have been deemed mad and cast out from society. But the truth is much more complicated—these women are often simply inconvenient, unwanted wives, those who have lost something precious, wayward daughters, or girls born from adulterous relationships. For Parisian society, the highlight of the year is the Lenten ball—the Mad Women’s Ball—when the great and good come to gawk at the patients of the Salpêtrière dressed up in their finery for one night only. For the women themselves, it is a rare moment of hope. Genevieve is a senior nurse. After the childhood death of her sister Blandine, she shunned religion and placed her faith in both the celebrated psychiatrist Dr. Charcot and science. But everything begins to change when she meets Eugénie, the 19–year–old daughter of a bourgeois family that has locked her away in the asylum. Because Eugénie has a secret: she sees spirits. Inspired by the scandalous, banned work that all of Paris is talking about, The Book of Spirits, Eugénie is determined to escape from the asylum—and the bonds of her gender—and seek out those who will believe in her. And for that she will need Genevieve's help . . .

Victoria Mas has worked in film in the United States, where she lived for eight years. She graduated from the Sorbonne University, where she received a master's degree in contemporary literature. The Mad Women’s Ball, her first novel, has won several prizes in France, including the Prix Stanislas and Prix Renaudot des Lycéens, and has been hailed as the bestselling debut of the season.

MAJOR FILM FROM AMAZON

STUDIOS: The film adaptation was released in September on Amazon Prime and elsewhere after rave reviews following its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It was directed by Mélanie Laurent, who was the director of The Nightingale, starring Elle and Dakota Fanning.

INTERNATIONAL LITERARY

SENSATION:The Mad Women’s Ball is an international literary sensation that has sold more than 150,000 copies in France, with rights sold in 19 countries.

BESTSELLER AND

PRIZEWINNER: The novel was hailed as the bestselling debut of the season in France last year, and has won the Prix Stanislas, Prix Première Plume, Prix du Premier Roman, Prix Patrimoine BPE, and Prix Renaudot des Prix Renaudot des Lycéens. It was also on the longlist for the Prix Femina (France’s equivalent of The Women’s Prize) and Prix France Culture.

SPECIFICATIONS

*224 pages *WIDTH: 5 1/2" - 140mm *HEIGHT: 8 1/4" - 210mm

*Paperback

PUB MONTH: SEPTEMBER

FICTION

ISBN 978-1-4197-5760-0

US $15.00 CAN $19.00 ËxHSLELJy757600z

ebook ISBN 978-1-64700-445-3

BY RIAN HUGHES

A "massive work of dizzying originiality" (Boston Globe), XX is an inventive and boldly designed science–fiction epic by acclaimed graphic designer Rian Hughes—now in paperback

Praise for XX

“XX . . . delights in exploring design's potential to amplify meaning. . . . like the best pulp tales, it keeps you turning the pages, engages with big ideas and delivers an authentic jolt of awe as it takes its galaxy–spanning conceit to the limit, and then some.” —Neville Hawcock, Financial Times

“XX is a page turner that transcends the typical alien story, becoming an engaging treatise on the nature and development of written language and its indelible impact on human culture.” —the Boston Globe

“Vastly ambitious, XX is the most astonishing blend of narrative, meta–narrative and visuals. Real ‘wow’ moments and big ideas combine with brilliant typographical flourishes to create the Moby Dick of sci–fi.” —the Daily Mail

“Come for the lush design, stay for the Clarkeian ideas and sly sense of humour.” —SFX

“Every single page has been meticulously crafted, appearing exactly as the author intends. Not a single piece of punctuation is without point or purpose.” —Sci–Fi Now

The battle for your mind has already begun. At Jodrell Bank Observatory in England, a radio telescope has detected a mysterious signal of extraterrestrial origin— a message that may be the first communication from an interstellar civilization. Has Humanity made first contact? Is the signal itself a form of alien life? Could it be a threat? If so, how will the people of Earth respond? Jack Fenwick, artificial intelligence expert, believes that he and his associates at tech start–up Intelligencia can interpret the message and find a way to step into the realm the signal encodes. What they find is a complex alien network beyond anything mankind has imagined. Drawing on Dada, punk, and the modernist movements of the 20th century, XX is assembled from redacted NASA reports, artwork, magazine articles, secret transcripts, and a novel within a novel. Deconstructing layout and language in order to explore how ideas propagate, acclaimed designer and artist Rian Hughes’s debut novel presents a compelling vision of humanity’s unique place in the universe, and a realistic depiction of what might happen in the wake of the biggest scientific discovery in human history. Propulsive and boldly designed, XX is a gripping, wildly imaginative, utterly original work.

Rian Hughes is a graphic designer, illustrator, comic artist, and typographer who has worked extensively for the British and American advertising, music, and comic book industries. He has written and drawn comics for 2000 AD and Batman Black and White and designed logos for the Avengers, the X–Men, Superman, record label Hedkandi, MTV, and James Bond. He has edited books on mid–century lifestyle illustration and custom typography, and written on semiotics, culture, and collecting vintage science–fiction pulps and paperbacks. In 2020 he was nominated for an Eisner Award for his book Logo–a–gogo. He lives in London.

UNIQUE IN THE MARKET:

Brilliant, eye–catching design with typefaces and art created for this novel make this a one–of–a–kind book that is as interesting an object as it is a narrative.

FAN BASE: A sci–fi House of Leaves, the novel’s world building and deeply layered story will appeal to fans of The Three–Body Problem, Seveneves, and the Southern Reach trilogy, as well as readers of Ted Chiang’s short stories and near–future sci–fi and speculative fiction.

CONNECTED AUTHOR: Hughes is highly regarded in the comic book and graphic design worlds. His work has appeared in Marvel Comics, 2000 AD, and Valiant Comics, where he’s worked alongside some of the biggest names in the industry.

SPECIFICATIONS

*992 pages *WIDTH: 6" - 152mm *HEIGHT: 9" - 229mm

*Paperback

PUB MONTH: NOVEMBER

ISBN 978-1-4197-5070-0

US $22.50 CAN $28.50 ËxHSLELJy750700z

ebook ISBN 978-1-64700-119-3

A NOVEL

BY GENE KWAK

From a rising literary star comes a fresh, satirical novel about masculinity and tenderness, fatherhood and motherhood, set in the world of semi–professional wrestling—now in paperback

Praise for Go Home, Ricky!

“Propulsive and poetic. . . it pounds out a drumbeat of pure sound, amid which, if you focus, you can find plentiful deadpan insights into the consummate strangeness of contemporary Middle America.” —the Chicago Review of Books

“It takes a writer of extreme talent to handle a narrator so rough–edged, and Kwak is indeed talented. Like Ricky, his prose is deceptive. It will draw you in with its humor, its easy flow, but to craft a voice that feels so true and lived in takes a careful and delicate hand, a writer unafraid to be completely open and exposed.” —Electric Literature

“Kwak’s unconventional and sharp writing . . . draws readers in. Go Home, Ricky! explores race, class, and identity in subtle yet fascinating ways and is an extremely promising first novel from a distinct voice.” —Booklist

“Hugely engaging and bitingly funny . . . that rare story that makes you feel, in the end, like you’ve made a lifelong friend.” —Hyphen Magazine

“One of the best books of the year . . . Kwak’s knack for sharp prose and tight plot are on full display throughout the entire book . . . Everything about Ricky is perfect . . . Go Home, Ricky! is a must read.” —Debutiful

“Gene Kwak is a force to be reckoned with. I’m astonished by the way he poses questions of masculinity and racial identity with such a deftness that they appear both subtle and urgent at once. I cannot wait for this novel to find its readers.” —Jac Jemc, author of The Grip of It and False Bingo

After seven years on the semi–pro wrestling circuit, Ricky Twohatchet, aka. Richard Powell, needs one last match before he gets called up to the big leagues. Unlike some wrestlers who only play the stereotype, Ricky believes he comes by his persona honestly—he’s half white and half Native American—even if he’s never met his father. But the night of the match in Omaha, Nebraska, something askew in their intricate choreography sets him on a course for disaster. He finishes with a neck injury that leaves him in a restrictive brace and a video already going viral: him spewing profanities at his ex–partner, Johnny America. Injury aside, he’s out of the league. Without a routine or identity, Ricky spirals downward, finally setting off to learn about his father, and what he finds will explode everything he knows about who he is—as a man, a friend, a son, a partner, and a wrestler. Go Home, Ricky! is a sometimes–witty, sometimes–heart–wrenching, but always gripping look into the complexities of identity. INCREDIBLE PRAISE: Go Home, Ricky! received stellar praise from the Chicago Review of Books, Publishers Weekly (starred review), and Electric Literature, and was featured in roundups for Vanity Fair, the International Examiner, Fanbyte and was a selection of the Rumpus book club.

NEW VOICE IN FICTION: Kwak is a writer of true voice and immense talent, and his debut novel, written in strong, often hilarious prose, offers a story about identity that we haven’t read before, in a world we haven’t seen before.

AUDIENCE: There was a successful hardcover tour at more than a dozen major indie bookstores. This is for readers of Tommy Orange and Joshua Ferris.

SPECIFICATIONS

*272 pages *WIDTH: 5 1/2" - 140mm *HEIGHT: 8 1/4" - 210mm

*Paperback

PUB MONTH: OCTOBER

FICTION

ISBN 978-1-4197-5362-6

US $16.00 CAN $20.00 ËxHSLELJy753626z

ebook ISBN 978-1-64700-255-8

Gene Kwak has published fiction and nonfiction both in print and online in the Los Angeles Review of Books, The Rumpus, Wigleaf, Redivider, Hobart, Electric Literature, and in the flash anthology Forward: 21st Century Flash Fiction. He teaches at the University of Nebraska Omaha. Go Home, Ricky! is his debut novel.