Description

‘Exquisite short stories. They disturb, delight and linger long after finishing’ LOUISE KENNEDY
‘To read Emily Ruskovich is to unwrap a gift’ PAULA HAWKINS

A stunning collection of stories that explore the rural landscape of the far Northwestern US, and how unexpected intuitions forever alter the lives of ordinary people, From the critically acclaimed, prizewinning author of Idaho

Four years after moving into the isolated house in rural Oregon where her husband lived as a child, the protagonist of ‘Victor’s Room’ begins to doubt her husband’s account of his family’s past. In ‘Round Lake’, a young woman’s plans to meet a lover in Tokyo are upended when she learns a startling truth about her mother’s death. In ‘Owl’, a fur trapper reckons with the dreadful origins of his marriage after his wife is brutally injured by four adolescent boys.

Haunting and psychologically provocative, and set against the vivid backdrop of the rural Northwestern US, Nightjar illuminates the secret, instinctive knowledge that lies just under the surface of our awareness.

Praise for Idaho

‘Writing that has the cool sharpness of lemonade . . . Unflinching, unfrilly, multi-layered storytelling that is both beautiful and devastating’ Rachel Joyce

‘You’re in masterly hands here… will remind many of the great Idaho novel, Marilynne Robinson’s Housekeeping . . . wrenching and beautiful’ New York Times Book Review

‘Ruskovich’s poetic, spare writing would be enough to compel on its own, but this extraordinary story of a violent event that decimates a young family in northern Idaho is the true engine here . . . enthrals from the outset’ Lucy Clark, Guardian

Publisher Review

These are exquisite short stories. They disturb, delight and linger long after finishing — LOUISE KENNEDY, author of Trespasses To read Emily Ruskovich is to unwrap a gift: her stories are surprising, rewarding, beautiful. There are strange love affairs, hearts gently breaking, cherished childhood memories that turn out to be untrue; in clear and distinctive prose, she evokes the epic scope of quiet lives — PAULA HAWKINS Ruskovich’s writing tows the line between subtly quiet and ferociously triumphant, as each story introduces us to characters so complicated and thorny that they might as well be real… haunting, riveting, and an absolute gift — Chicago Review of Books These are marvelous and unsettling stories. Ruskovich’s prose is lambent, the relationships between her characters are thorny, complex, and mesmerizing, and the shapes of her stories constantly surprise. I loved Nightjar — KELLY LINK, author of The Book of Love In spare, lovely prose, Ruskovich writes a collection of five linked literary stories set in the Pacific Northwest wilderness * Alta * Ruskovich blends urgent pacing with lush wooded scenery and intimate psychological details. It’s a marvel * Publishers Weekly, *starred review* * In this exquisitely tailored collection of five stories, Ruskovich plumbs the depths of mystery, memory, and the quiet grief of intimacy… Like Idaho, this book has a compelling slipperiness, both in time and reality… A portal to a haunting, liminal Pacific Northwest * Kirkus *starred review* * Some books whisper instead of shout. Nightjar is one of them… the kind of collection that asks you to slow down and simply exist inside its atmosphere * Bibliolifestyle *