THE VANISHING OF KATHARINA LINDEN wins Alex Award!
We’re pleased to announce that The Vanishing of Katharina Linden has won the Alex Award from the American Library Association!
The Alex Awards are given to books written for adults that have special appeal to young adults, ages 12-18.
Katharina Linden was one of ten winners, alongside The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake, by Aimee Bender and Room, by Emma Donoghue.
The Vanishing of Katharina Linden
by Helen Grant
Delacorte Hardcover
978-0-385-34417-3
Now on sale
“Both a wonderful first novel, and a strange, haunting modern fairytale, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden is that rare beast: a book that reawakens in adults the childhood terror of the bogeyman, and confirms for children that the world is an infinitely stranger place than adults might like to pretend . . .”
—John Connolly, New York Times bestselling author of The Reapers
“The Vanishing of Katharina Linden is a stunning debut with a richly evoked setting, a smart sympathetic heroine, and the best opening line for a novel I’ve ever read. Helen Grant conjures a tale of evil in rural Germany that would make the Brothers Grimm jealous!’
—Rick Riordan, New York Times bestselling author of the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series
“Dark and deadly as the original Grimm’s German folktales, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden hides its menace behind the exquisitely charming narrator, Pia, an unforgettable child of the first order.”
—Keith Donohue, author of The Stolen Child and Angels of Destruction
“Compelling…The novel is enriched by spooky stories…by a cleverly drawn cast…and a gothically creepy denouement. Lightness of touch, neatness of phrase and talent for observation enliven the darkness of the material….Pia’s engaging and innocent narrative voice, rather as the narrator of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, leavens a tragic story. This is terrific entertainment.”
—The Sunday Times
“Outstanding….An absolutely compelling tale that is as chilling as Durrenmatt’s The Visit and as fantastical as Hansel and Gretel: a children’s detective novel that can be read on so many levels–densely imagined and intricately plotted, it’s one of the most original and enjoyable novels I’ve read for some time.”
— The London Times
“Grant’s splendid debut…combines the grisly folk-tales of the Brothers Grimm with the insidious rumour-mill of a small community where ancient wounds fester and scores remain unsettled…This is a feast of treats and creeps. The excellent writing makes this an eerily subtle literary page-turner. Wonderful.”
—The Guardian
“Fascinating….veers off in an unexpected direction and Grant steers it with impressive skill…As in The Lovely Bones and What We Lost, what could be a grim subject matter is unsensationally embedded within a richly textured, effortlessly written novel with an impeccable sense of place and characterization.”
—The Sunday Telegraph
“A gripping adventure…an impressive debut from a writer to watch.”
—The Daily Mail
