Another brilliant 'constellation novel' in the mode of her International Booker Prize-winning Flights, House of Day, House of Night reminds us that the story of any place, no matter how humble, is boundless.
PRAISE-
'Darkly humorous, deadly serious, and with a quirky cast of characters that will stay with you forever, this is definitely not to be missed.' Dua Lipa on Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead
'The pleasures of Tokarczuk's prose are in the neat little tricks of noticing, veering into the supernatural and strange.' Saturday Paper
The latest novel from the Polish Nobel Prize winner is a rich tapestry of characters, eccentricities and mysteries. Set in a rural Polish town on the Czech-Polish border, House of Day, House of Night follows the activities and desires of its odd residents. There is a man who believes a great bird lives in his chest, driving him into a depressive spiral. There is a wig-maker who holds many town secrets, and clairvoyant who dreads the end of the world. Haunting the dreams of these characters are the ghosts of the Germans who previously resided in the town before the end of the war, adding to the delightfully strange atmosphere of the novel.
Tokarczuk offers a constantly surprising book with stories nestled in stories, consistently holding the reader’s attention. Behind all the strangeness and at times occult aesthetic of the world is a collection of characters that reveal their inner hopes and vulnerabilities over the course of the book. The more time spent with these residents, the greater their charm will impact the reader, painting a detailed image of this distinct town. - Jamil
