
The Others
Sarah Blau(Author)
Pushkin Vertigo (Publisher)
Published on 27. April 2021
Book
Paperback/Softback
240 pages
978-1-78227-649-4 (ISBN)
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Description
They would rather die than become mothers.
A serial killer is on the loose in Tel Aviv. Each victim is found tied to a chair with a baby doll glued to their hands, the word 'mother' carved into their forehead like a mark of Cain.
Stowed away between the wax figurines of the Bible museum where she works, Sheila Heller suspects that she alone knows the connection between the victims. The killings seem to be linked by a pact their group all made at university - to never have children.
What Sheila doesn't know is who is committing these gruesome acts of ritualistic violence, and whether she herself might be the next target.
A serial killer is on the loose in Tel Aviv. Each victim is found tied to a chair with a baby doll glued to their hands, the word 'mother' carved into their forehead like a mark of Cain.
Stowed away between the wax figurines of the Bible museum where she works, Sheila Heller suspects that she alone knows the connection between the victims. The killings seem to be linked by a pact their group all made at university - to never have children.
What Sheila doesn't know is who is committing these gruesome acts of ritualistic violence, and whether she herself might be the next target.
Reviews / Votes
Twisted, dark and fizzing with fury, it's a lot of fun * Observer, Thrillers of the Month * The narrative twists with ironic relish * Sunday Times Crime Club * The mystery is absorbing, but so is the passionate debate over how the world views women who decide not to have children - and how they view themselves * New York Times * One of the last taboos... a page-turning thriller * BBC World Service * Wickedly entertaining with an undercurrent of poignant insight, The Others is unlike anything else you'll read this year. It uses the twisted trappings of its genre to deftly examine questions of choice, culpability and motherhood in ways both unique and unpredictable. Don't miss it. -- Gabriel Bergmoser A dark and funny page-turner The Others is a meaningful and original take on one of the most emotionally charged and complex issues in society - the expectation for women to bear children. Filled with tension and thrill and pitch-perfect characters, this is a convincing and enviable mystery. -- Assaf Gavron, author of The Hilltop Steeped in the stories of the bible, this razor-sharp thriller combines propulsive narrative with subtle, insightful commentary on identity, gender roles and the different ways we contend with loss. Engrossing and thought-provoking, with a strong sense of place and a set of complex, unforgettable characters, The Others will live with you long after putting the book down. -- Daniela Petrova, author of Her Mother's Daughter Brashly original... The twisty, often sardonic narrative shifts neatly between the ongoing investigation and secrets of the women's emotionally fraught past * Publishers Weekly * A daring, darkly-alluring psychological thriller, undoing one of the very foundations of Jewish and Israeli culture, the myth of motherhood. Sarah Blau's subversive and original voice resonates through every line of The Others, placing her in the front row of contemporary Israeli literature. -- Ruby Namdar, author of The Ruined House Looking for a dark, sardonic thriller? Set in Tel-Aviv, women who once joined a group who swore to have a childfree lifestyle are turning up dead * Bookriot * The Others had me hooked from page one. A riveting thriller that made me squirm, laugh, and think, often all at once, this book makes us question everything we thought we knew about women, not to mention the Bible, even as we race to find out what happens. Sarah Blau has written a novel as smart as it is scintillating. I adored it. -- Anna Solomon, author of THE BOOK OF V The Others has the makings of a hit... It's both fun and intelligent, with neither coming at the expense of the other. * The Morning Show, Tel Aviv Radio * So witty, eloquent and riveting you want to lock your door while reading it. * Haaretz * Blau does not write delicately, but rather blows up the place with thunder and fireworks. * Hagar Yanai, Galei Tzahal radio *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Pushkin Press
Dimensions
Height: 216 mm
Width: 135 mm
ISBN-13
978-1-78227-649-4 (9781782276494)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
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Additional editions

E-Book
04/2021
Pushkin Vertigo
€8.39
Available for download
Persons
Sarah Blau is an author and playwright, recipient of the 2015 Prime Minister's Prize for Hebrew Literature, and the 2017 Bar-Ilan University Alumni Achievement Award in recognition of her contribution to enriching culture in Israel. She currently lives in Tel Aviv and The Others is her fourth novel but the first to be translated into English.