Last Night in Montreal
by Emily St. John Mandel
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Pub Date Jun 02 2009 | Archive Date Sep 01 2012
Description
In this gorgeously written debut, Eli always worries that Lilia will leave him. He even talks with her about the possibility, hoping to prepare himself. Lilia always leaves one place or person for the next, not out of cruelty but because she is unable to stop moving on after a childhood of mysterious, practiced disappearances. But when she does slip out one morning and fail to return home, Eli still can't bear it. He is devastated.
Then a mysterious postcard arrives from Montreal saying where Eli can find Lilia. The text is not in Lilia's handwriting, and it's signed "Michaela." Suddenly Eli is on a train north, toward resolution. But he is unprepared for the mysteries, the broken hearts and the kind of closure that he'll discover there.
LAST NIGHT IN MONTREAL follows the intersecting lives of four people: Lilia, a twenty-something who was abducted as a child by her non-custodial parent (abducted-or rescued?); Eli, who tries to hold on to her and then tries to let her go; Christopher, the private detective who remains obsessed with Lilia's case; and Michaela, the detective's daughter, who is as rootless as Lilia-and who knows the answers Lilia seeks. A beautifully written, almost poetic tale of loss and love, of sacrifice and abandonment, and of finding a way home, this novel is an hypnotic read, one that casts a spell and marks the beginning of a wonderful career.
Emily St. John Mandel was born on the west coast of British Columbia, Canada, in 1979. She studied dance at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre and lived briefly in Montreal before relocating to New York. She lives in Brooklyn.
Advance Praise
"The fast pacing and unusual characters make this a compelling first novel. Highly recommended."-Library Journal
"Mandel chooses her words with careful love and arranges them to exquisite effect. At its heart this book is a mystery, a few mysteries; we wait and we wonder while being charmed by Mandel's intricate narrative dance which threads three different moving plot lines together into a perfectly tangled tapestry. Like a tightrope walker's steps above a cobblestoned alley, her lines follow each other with near breathless precision and echo delicately long after the final page has been turned."
-ForeWord Magazine
"I realized that this novel is why I became a bookseller and why after almost 22 years I remain one. To come across a gem like this makes slogging through many many other books we read, ones that may be goodish,or ordinary or even bad, all worthwhile. Her voice captivated me from the start and the way the story unfolds kept me reading it compulsively...I really loved this book and thank you for thinking of me and sending it along. I think that Emily St. John Mandel will haunt me like Michael Chabon. Long after reading, the story, the characters will stay with me."-Michael Fraser, Joseph Beth Booksellers
"I was caught and held by the small and large mysteries sprinkled throughout...then sorry to see the book end."-Jenn Northington, The King's English Bookshop
"A strangely beautiful book...easy for me to fall into."-Stephanie Anderson, Moravian Bookshop and bookavore.com
"Mandel's intriguing debut novel begins with the abduction of a young girl,Lilia, by her father, and leads the reader on a twisting journey that is part love story, part mystery. I would recommend this book for anyonelooking for a suspenseful read..."-Jennifer Meador, Lemuria Books
"Last Night in Montreal marks the debut of a lyrical voice, singing its heart out. Please sit up and take notice. It's a beautiful work." -Darin Strauss
"Lilia is sort of a Dean Moriarty-like drifter and the way Ms. Mandel writes is soothing like waves along a river's edge...a very enjoyable read."-Julia Callahan, Book Soup
For the many other rave reviews, please visit unbridledbooks.com
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | |
| PRICE | 24.95 |
| PAGES | 256 |
