Gretel and the Dark is Eliza Granville''s dazzling novel of darkness, evil - and hope.
For fans of Markus Zusak''s The Book Thief and Guillermo del Toro''s Pan''s Labyrinth.
Vienna, 1899. Josef Breuer - celebrated psychoanalyst - is about to encounter his strangest case yet. Found by the lunatic asylum, thin, head shaved, she claims to have no name, no feelings - to be, in fact, not even human. Intrigued, Breuer determines to fathom the roots of her disturbance.
Years later, in Germany, we meet Krysta. Krysta''s Papa is busy working in the infirmary with the ''animal people'', so little Krysta plays alone, lost in the stories of Hansel and Gretel, the Pied Piper, and more. And when everything changes and the real world around her becomes as frightening as any fairy tale, Krysta finds that her imagination holds powers beyond what she could have ever guessed . . .
''A powerful, terrifying story. It is impossible not to find yourself racing through the pages. Heartbreaking and heart-racing.'' The Times
''Dark and intriguing . . . a highly clever, original book'' Daily Mail
Eliza Granville was born in Worcestershire and now lives in the Welsh Marches. She has had a life-long fascination with the enduring quality of fairytales and their symbolism, and the idea for Gretel and the Dark was sparked when she became interested in the emphasis placed on these stories during the Third Reich.
Industry Reviews
Powerful, heartbreaking, heart-racing, terrifying . . . It is impossible not to find yourself racing through the pages * The Times *
Atmospheric and beautifully written. Gretel and the Dark will be one of the best books of 2014 * The List *
Dark and intriguing . . . a highly clever, original book * Daily Mail *
Ambitious and enticing * Independent *
Truly beautiful writing. Read this book * Guardian *
A back-and-forth tale of secrets and imagination, a thoroughly engaging journey into the darkest corners of humanity * Publishers Weekly *
As dark and twisting as the Black Forest . . . forbidding, secretive, richly historical, this is a gripping novel that will leave you guessing until the end * Historical Novel Review *
This combination of history, mystery and fairy tale makes for engrossing and irresistible reading - right up to the ultimately redemptive final twist * Bookpage (U.S.) *
Grips and shakes the reader from beginning to end. Like so many fairy tales, nothing is what it seems and attention must be paid for the greatest rewards * Gilmore Guide to Books (blog) *
Wow. It's dark indeed, but within that darkness is a redemptive story, as beautiful as it is haunting. Deeply, achingly satisfying * Reading with Hippos (blog) *
Deserves to be placed alongside other greats of the genre such as The Reader and The Boy in Striped Pyjamas. I urge you to read it. * Palatinate Online *
Extraordinary. Granville's writing and world building are beautiful. * The Mountains of Instead (blog) *
Pick this book up and read it! -- Rachel Tsoumbakos (blog)
