Named one of the top 10 literary fiction books of the season by Publisher Weekly, anticipation is already building for THE QUICK, coming up June 2014.
An astonishing debut, a novel of epic scope and suspense that conjures up all the magic and menace of Victorian London
“A suspenseful, gloriously atmospheric first novel, and a feast of Gothic storytelling that is impossible to resist.”—Kate Atkinson, bestselling author of Life After Life and Case Histories
“A sly and glittering addition to the literature of the macabre . . . As soon as you have breathed with relief, much worse horrors begin. It’s a skilled, assured performance, and it’s hard to believe it is a first novel.”—Hilary Mantel, bestselling author of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies
“Ambitious, elegant, atmospheric, and often deeply poignant, The Quick is a seamless blend of Victorian London and rich imagination. This is a book to savor.”—Tana French, bestselling author of In the Woods and Broken Harbor
“A sly and glittering addition to the literature of the macabre . . . As soon as you have breathed with relief, much worse horrors begin. It’s a skilled, assured performance, and it’s hard to believe it is a first novel.”—Hilary Mantel, bestselling author of Wolf Hall and Bring Up the Bodies
“Ambitious, elegant, atmospheric, and often deeply poignant, The Quick is a seamless blend of Victorian London and rich imagination. This is a book to savor.”—Tana French, bestselling author of In the Woods and Broken Harbor
In this brilliant debut by Lauren Owen, James Norbury, a shy would-be poet in 1892 London, becomes roommates with a charming aristocrat. Through this new friendship, he is introduced to high society and finds unexpected love. Then, suddenly, he vanishes without a trace. Unnerved, his sister,
Charlotte, sets out from their crumbling country estate determined to
find him. In the sinister, labyrinthine city that greets her, she
uncovers a secret world at the margins populated by unforgettable
characters: a female rope walker turned vigilante, a street urchin with a
deadly secret, and the chilling “Doctor Knife.” But the answer to her
brother’s disappearance ultimately lies within the doors of one of the
country’s preeminent and mysterious institutions: The Aegolius Club,
whose members include the most ambitious, and most dangerous, men in
England.
In her first novel, Lauren Owen has created a fantastical world that is both beguiling and terrifying. The Quick will establish her as one of fiction’s most dazzling talents. (Random House)
In her first novel, Lauren Owen has created a fantastical world that is both beguiling and terrifying. The Quick will establish her as one of fiction’s most dazzling talents. (Random House)
THE QUICK
A Novel
by
Lauren Owen
Random House, June 17 2014
Hardcover, 544 pages
Historical Fiction, Victorian London, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Historical Fiction, Victorian London, Fantasy, Horror, Mystery
Pre-order on Amazon
Lauren Owen read English Literature at St. Hilda’s College, Oxford,
before completing an MA in Victorian Literature at the University of
Leeds. She subsequently studied at the University of East Anglia,
graduating with an MA in Creative Writing in 2008, and receiving the
2009 Curtis Brown prize. Her first novel is called THE QUICK.
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| Photo Credit: Rogers, Coleridge & White |
