King Nyx
A Novel
by Kirsten Bakis
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Pub Date Feb 20 2024 | Archive Date Jan 31 2024
W. W. Norton & Company | Liveright
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Description
From the author of the contemporary cult classic, Lives of the Monster Dogs, comes a haunting mystery about the fate of women and girls in the orbit of self-important men.
Set in November 1918 on the opulent, castle-like island estate of an eccentric millionaire, Claude Arkel, this atmospheric, compellingly readable novel reimagines the life of Anna Filing Fort—whose husband, Charles Hoy Fort, was the most famous “anomalist” of the early twentieth century. Settling in as guests on Prosper Island, the young couple find themselves quarantined in a shabby outpost far from Mr. Arkel’s mansion—from which, they learn, three girls have gone missing. After she encounters a figure in the woods that may be the ghost of her long-lost friend Mary, Anna resolves to find out who Mr. Arkel really is, and what has become of the missing girls.
A contemporary feminist tale with the mood and mystery of a classic gothic novel, King Nyx reintroduces readers, twenty-five years after her acclaimed debut, to one of our most astonishingly imaginative storytellers.
About the Author: Kirsten Bakis teaches at the Yale Writers' Workshop. Her previous novel, Lives of the Monster Dogs, was a New York Times Notable Book of the Year, winner of the Bram Stoker Award for best first novel, and was shortlisted for the international Women's Prize for Fiction.
A Note From the Publisher
LibraryReads votes due by 1/1/24.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9781324093534 |
| PRICE | $28.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 320 |
Available on NetGalley
Featured Reviews
Sarah Z, Reviewer
This is a lovely gothic mystery that gives off major Jane Eyre vibes.
Reasons to read this book:
1. The setting: This story primarily takes place in the early 1900s on the private island of a wealthy business tycoon. There's no chance of escape from this closed setting once creepy and mysterious events begin to occur.
2. The slow build-up: Most of the lower rated reviews I've read on this book cite the story as being slow, and this style of writing is not for everyone. But if you are a fan of slow-build tension, descriptive settings, and gothic classics this is for you.
3. The complexity and relatability of the female characters: Even though this took place a century ago, the subtle sexism these characters face is still very much present today. I loved the way these characters navigated through the world.
Big thank you to NetGalley and W. W. Norton & Company for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Keri M, Reviewer
King Nyx is a wonderfully haunting novel. You are transported to a world of truths, secrets and revelations. Anna’s memories will entrance you and haunt you. The path you are taken down will haunt you in the best possible way!
Jeremy B, Reviewer
I will not soon forget this book and you won't either when you read it. The main character, Anna, grew up in a chaotic, poverty stricken home with no structure and only a father in name only to head it. She finds salvation as she grows older as a maid in house run by a tyrant who loved nothing so much as he loved rules. Anna, after some years, has a mental breakdown after which she is taken under the wing of one of the owner's sons, Charlie. He comes to marry Anna, causing Charlie to be disinherited by his father. The two must live in poverty while Charlie works on. a book about things like dead fish which improbably fall from the sky. As much as the two must cope with living in dire circumstances financially, they must also cope with Anna being perpetually balanced on a knife's edge between sanity and insanity. Salvation arrives in the form of an invitation to a remote island located between Canada and the US on which a millionaire lives as a recluse. He has invited Charlie and Anna to come so that Charlie can at last finish his book. It is on this island that the bulk of the story takes place.
The story takes place in the early years of the twentieth century but Bakis creates an atmosphere that seems classically gothic. Even before the couple get to the island they are approached and asked to sign a petition about girls who have gone missing there. This creates a low hum of anxiety and suspense that keeps getting ratcheted up to an almost unbearable level as the story progresses. . If this had been a movie, I would have had my hands over my eyes. The ending has many twists that are surprising but fit well in the structure of the plot. I highly recommend this book.
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