LoveReading Says
Maxim Jakubowski's April 2015 Book of the Month.
Following the multi-award nominations of her 4th novel, the subtle post-apocalyptic Station Eleven, Mandel's earlier novels are finally being released in the UK and this, her first, is a poignant masterpiece (the other two, equally worthy of attention are The Singer's Gun and The Lola Quartet). A bleak but enchanting tale of lost souls, fathers and daughters, existential detectives, dancers and drifters set against the emptiness of the American (and Canadian) dream, it's a tale that weaves fragile connections between its characters and parallel stories, not quite a crime investigation -although crimes do take place-, not quite a love story -although love is the engine of the plot. Inevitable sadness, transient joys, most of all this is about the hole inside our souls and it affected me deeply. I might not have have made it sound terribly cheerful but be brave and jump into Mandel's fascinating world.
Maxim Jakubowski
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Last Night in Montreal Synopsis
From the New York Times bestselling author of Station Eleven Lilia has been leaving people behind her entire life. Haunted by her inability to remember her early childhood, and by a mysterious shadow that seems to dog her wherever she goes, Lilia moves restlessly from city to city, abandoning lovers and friends along the way. But then she meets Eli, and he's not ready to let her go, not without a fight. Gorgeously written, charged with tension and foreboding, Emily St. John Mandel's Last Night in Montreal is the story of a life spent at the centre of a criminal investigation. It is a novel about identity, love and amnesia, the depths and limits of family bonds and - ultimately - about the nature of obsession.
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Emily St. John Mandel Press Reviews
'Mandel is an exuberant storyteller' New York Times
'Finely wrought ... What we're made to ponder is the mystery of human connection: how it is born, how it fades and dies and revives, how love defines us or leaves us undone' Globe and Mail
'Taut, gripping ... elegantly compelling Booklist Mandel has a beautiful writing style' Independent on Sunday
'Mandel tells an utterly absorbing story, pulling readers down the rabbit hole and keeping them racing through its long, strange warrens. The writing is vibrant, and Lilia is a vivid and haunting character ... Last Night in Montreal is an exciting debut: a thriller, a love story, and a quiet ballad about life's fleeting connections' Quill & Quire
'Highly recommended for all contemporary fiction collections' Library Journal
About Emily St. John Mandel
Emily St. John Mandel was born in Canada and studied dance at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre. She is the author of the novels Last Night in Montreal, The Singer's Gun, The Lola Quartet and Station Eleven and is a staff writer for The Millions. She is married and lives in New York.
Author photo © Dese'Rae L. Stage
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