{"title":"Eva Menasse","description":"\u003cp\u003eExplore the rich literary world of Eva Menasse, a critically acclaimed author renowned for her ability to weave intricate narratives and delve into the complexities of human nature. With a style that is both compelling and introspective, Menasse invites readers to explore themes of identity, memory, and the passage of time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eHer works traverse the realms of General Fiction and Historical Fiction, offering both depth and entertainment. \"Animals – Eight Studies for Experts\" is a standout, presenting a collection of thought-provoking stories that challenge conventional perceptions and invite readers to engage with the text on a deeper level. Meanwhile, \"Darkenbloom\" provides a gripping narrative that showcases Menasse's skillful blend of historical context and fictional intrigue.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eMenasse's storytelling prowess is evident in her ability to create vivid characters and settings that linger in the reader’s mind long after the final page is turned. Whether you're a longstanding fan or new to her work, Eva Menasse's collection promises an enriching journey through the landscapes of history and the human experience.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"darkenbloom-by-eva-menasse-9781922585486","title":"Darkenbloom","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA panoramic novel of European history, by an internationally bestselling writer.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe whole truth, as the name implies, is the collective knowledge of all those involved. Which is why you can never really piece it together again afterwards. Because some of those who possessed a part of it will already be dead. Or they're lying, or their memories are bad.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt's 1989, and in a small town on the Austria-Hungary border, nobody talks about the war; the older residents pretend not to remember, and the younger ones are too busy making plans to leave. The walls are thin, the curtains twitch, there is a face at every window, and everyone knows what they are not supposed to say.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eBut as thousands of East German refugees mass at the border, it seems that the past is knocking on \u003cem\u003eDarkenbloom\u003c\/em\u003e's door.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eStill, though, nobody talks about the war.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUntil a mysterious visitor shows up asking questions.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUntil townspeople start receiving threatening letters and even disappearing.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eUntil a body is found.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDarkenbloom\u003c\/em\u003e is a sweeping novel of exiled counts, Nazis-turned-Soviet-enforcers, secret marriages, mislabelled graves, remembrance, guilt, and the devastating power of silence, by one of Austria's most significant contemporary writers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"It is Menasse's style - which is to say, the way she uses her narrator - that makes the case for her deep and original reimagining of history. This teasing, searching, playful, scathing voice, half inside the community and half outside it, sometimes as bland as soup and other times as sharp as death, recounts history as no responsible historian could.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- James Wood, The New Yorker\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"Darkenbloom uses the historical case of Rechnitz to investigate the nature of guilt and remembrance, repression and confession, public memory and public amnesia more broadly ... Menasse is, above all else, an astute observer of human psychology. Her novel's narration roams between characters, whose chunks of worldview and life story form a panorama of the town's haunted present alongside moments where the author-narrator addresses the reader with direct commentary on the Darkenbloomers or reflections on the nature of memory itself ... In Menasse's thoughtful hands, the invented town of Darkenbloom is not a cipher for one specific historical event, but rather a stage to explore more universal concerns.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Alexander Wells, The Guardian\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003e\"In Eva Menasse's historical novel Darkenbloom, the wartime secrets of a small Austrian town are compromised by the urgent demands of the present ... disturbing events are tempered by rich, omniscient knowledge of the characters, whose quirky humour and humanity amid an impeccable backdrop of clandestine forests and 'undulating, dappled' mountain views captivate. Heralding the expansive disruptions of social change, the intricate novel Darkenbloom muses through an Austrian town's troubled past.\"\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr\u003e- Foreword Reviews, starred review\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46546891473132,"sku":"9781922585486","price":41.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/14265983482872.jpg?v=1749853961"},{"product_id":"animals-eight-studies-for-experts-by-simon-pare-9781803092621","title":"Animals – Eight Studies for Experts","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eA collection of unique, profound, and witty stories that relate animals’ peculiarities to human attitudes.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eAnimals – Eight Studies for Experts\u003c\/i\u003e is a collection of short stories in which each story takes a peculiar item about animals that appears, like fables, to shine a spotlight on different aspects of human behaviour—like caterpillars digging their own graves, sharks in need of artificial respiration, ducks that keep an eye out for hungry predators even in their sleep.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIt is a treat to watch Eva Menasse spin these observations into scenes of people battling their everyday anxieties and doubts. An old tyrant realises that he is unable to prevent his wife’s worsening dementia from erasing his own past as it erases hers.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eA mother who tries to protect a Muslim child from hostile accusations finds that her own boundaries between good and evil begin to blur. A woman realises how starkly her father’s traumatic past has shaped her quirky habits and deepest fears.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eCombining biting wit, mystery, and melancholy, these tales are the work of a masterful storyteller.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46853212635372,"sku":"9781803092621","price":47.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/27026303482829.jpg?v=1759192133"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/eva-menasse.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}