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Laird of Secrets: Historical Scottish Romance (The Whisky Lairds Series #2)
by Sarah Gabriel Susan KingWhen a Schoolteacher Encounters Highland Smugglers, a Touch of Fairy Magic Brings Romance in Laird of Secrets, a Scottish Historical Romance by Susan King--Scottish Highlands, 1823--To fulfill the requirements of her grandmother's will and claim her inheritance, Fiona MacCarran must marry a wealthy Highlander, and soon. Her teaching position in the remote Highland glen where her brother is the excise officer offers little hope of finding such a husband until she meets Dougal MacGregor, Laird of Kinloch. Fiona longs to be in the arms of the handsome laird who knows the secret of local fairy lore. He's also a notorious rogue and whisky smuggler.Moving his finest whisky—and fast—is how Dougal MacGregor protects his people. It ought to be simple, but nothing is easy after Fiona MacCarran arrives. With a valuable cache and an age-old legend to protect, he cannot allow the sensual schoolmistress to distract him. After all, a Highland rebel and a law-abiding lass who is sister to the customs officer—can't have a future together.But when a conflict threatens the glen and its magical secret, Dougal and Fiona must work together to protect the people—and soon realize that only sweet surrender will save them as well.Publisher Note: Previously published as The Highland Groom, the story has been edited by the author for today's readers. Readers who appreciate romance set in historical settings with fantasy elements will not want to miss the newly-updated Whisky Lairds Series.The Whisky Lairds SeriesLaird of TwilightLaird of SecretsLaird of Rogues
Laird of Twilight: Historical Scottish Romance (The Whisky Lairds Series #1)
by Sarah Gabriel Susan KingA Grandmother's Will and Secrets From the Fairy Realm Bring Love to the Scottish Highlands in Laird of Twilight, a Historical Romance from Susan King--Scottish Highlands, 1822--James MacCarran, the new Viscount Struan, has no desire to venture onto the thorny battlefield of marriage. But his grandmother's will issues an ultimatum—marry a Highlander with fairy blood or forfeit his inheritance. Then he meets Elspeth MacArthur. She's beautiful, enchanting—luminous, really—with something mysterious and unique about her.Yet, Elspeth is keeping an astonishing family secret and spurns the hopeful and handsome Lord Straun, confident he will never accept her situation.But when an ancient and mystical force portends to reveal the truth behind her secret, Elspeth quickly realizes her only haven is in James' passionate embrace . . . the most dangerous place of all.Publisher Note: Previously published as To Wed a Highland Bride, the story has been edited by the author for today's readers. Readers who appreciate romance set in historical settings with fantasy elements will not want to miss the newly-updated Whisky Lairds Series.The Whisky Lairds SeriesLaird of TwilightLaird of SecretsLaird of Rogues
Lake Silence (World of the Others, The #1)
by Anne BishopIn this thrilling and suspenseful fantasy set in the world of the New York Times bestselling Others series, an inn owner and her shape-shifting lodger find themselves enmeshed in danger and dark secrets.Human laws do not apply in the territory controlled by the Others--vampires, shape-shifters, and even deadlier paranormal beings. And this is a fact that humans should never, ever forget....After her divorce, Vicki DeVine took over a rustic resort near Lake Silence, in a human town that is not human controlled. Towns such as Vicki's don't have any distance from the Others, the dominant predators who rule most of the land and all of the water throughout the world. And when a place has no boundaries, you never really know what is out there watching you.Vicki was hoping to find a new career and a new life. But when her lodger, Aggie Crowe--one of the shape-shifting Others--discovers a murdered man, Vicki finds trouble instead. The detectives want to pin the death on her, despite the evidence that nothing human could have killed the victim. As Vicki and her friends search for answers, ancient forces are roused by the disturbance in their domain. They have rules that must not be broken--and all the destructive powers of nature at their command.
Lake of Darkness
by Adam RobertsGood is a construct. Evil is a virus.The Starship Sa Niro and the Starship Sß Oubliette were in orbit around a black hole, one afternoon... by the end of the day, the crews of both starships were dead, victims of a single killer: Captain Alpha Raine.Raine claims he's acting under the command of a voice emanating from the black hole: Mr Modo. No one believes him.Everyone knows that things go into black holes; nothing comes out.But something inexplicable has been happening to Raine, and whatever it is seems to be spreading. An historian studying serial killers from the 21st century interviews him... and then nearly kills someone herself. It becomes increasingly undeniable that there's something inside that black hole... and it's found a way out...
Lake of Darkness
by Adam RobertsGood is a construct. Evil is a virus.The Starship Sa Niro and the Starship Sß Oubliette were in orbit around a black hole, one afternoon... by the end of the day, the crews of both starships were dead, victims of a single killer: Captain Alpha Raine.Raine claims he's acting under the command of a voice emanating from the black hole: Mr Modo. No one believes him.Everyone knows that things go into black holes; nothing comes out.But something inexplicable has been happening to Raine, and whatever it is seems to be spreading. An historian studying serial killers from the 21st century interviews him... and then nearly kills someone herself. It becomes increasingly undeniable that there's something inside that black hole... and it's found a way out...
Lake of Darkness: A Novel
by Scott KenemoreAn Alternate History in which Power, Crime, and the Supernatural Intersect on the South Side of Chicago During the First World War, on the South Side of Chicago, officer Joe &“Flip&” Flippity has begun an investigation into a serial decapitationist who is hunting young children. At a time when African American officers are rendered second-class by prejudicial policies, Flip is nonetheless called upon by the mayor of the city—the legendary Big Bill Thompson himself—and a host of powerful city fathers, to thwart this murderer who threatens to destroy the city's reputation as a safe haven for those making the Great Migration north. While searching to catch his killer—and to discover why the most powerful men in Chicago are truly concerned about the murders of poor black refugees—Flip's bloody trail takes him through the South Side&’s vice districts (where anything is available for a price), across its most dangerous criminal underbellies, and into a bracing and unexpected world of supernatural horror. As Flip digs deeper in his quest to protect the city&’s most vulnerable, he stumbles upon more mysterious murders, confounding psychological puzzles, and terrifying hints of something "other" that may reach across from unknowable distances to guide the hand of a killer. It soon becomes apparent that all is not as it seems, and that mysterious and powerful forces are conspiring to stand in Flip&’s way. A combination of detective thriller, cosmic horror, and historical fiction, Lake of Darkness takes us to the deepest and darkest places in Chicago&’s very dark history.
Lake of Darkness: The mindbending new science fiction novel from Adam Roberts
by Adam RobertsGood is a construct. Evil is a virus.The Starship Sa Niro and the Starship Sß Oubliette were in orbit around a black hole, one afternoon... by the end of the day, the crews of both starships were dead, victims of a single killer: Captain Alpha Raine.Raine claims he's acting under the command of a voice emanating from the black hole: Mr Modo. No one believes him.Everyone knows that things go into black holes; nothing comes out.But something inexplicable has been happening to Raine, and whatever it is seems to be spreading. An historian studying serial killers from the 21st century interviews him... and then nearly kills someone herself. It becomes increasingly undeniable that there's something inside that black hole... and it's found a way out...
Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction
by Ann LeckieHugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award-winner Ann Leckie is a modern master of the SFF genre, forever changing its landscape with her groundbreaking ideas and powerful voice. Now, available for the first time comes the complete collection of Leckie's short fiction, including a brand new novelette, Lake of Souls.Journey across the stars of the Imperial Radch universe.Listen to the words of the Old Gods that ruled The Raven Tower.Learn the secrets of the mysterious Lake of Souls.And so much more, in this masterfully wide-ranging and immersive short fiction collection from award-winning author Ann Leckie.Contents:The Lake of SoulsStories from the world of the Imperial RadchNight's Slow PoisonShe Commands Me and I ObeyThe Creation and Destruction of the WorldStories from the world of The Raven TowerThe God of AuThe NalendarThe Snake's WifeMarsh GodsThe Unknown GodBeloved of the SunSaving BaconSci-FiFootprintsHesperia and GloryThe Endangered CampAnother Word for WorldThe JustifiedFantasyBury the DeadThe Sad History of the Tearless Onion
Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction
by Ann LeckieHugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award-winner Ann Leckie is a modern master of the SFF genre, forever changing its landscape with her groundbreaking ideas and powerful voice. Now, available for the first time comes the complete collection of Leckie's short fiction, including a brand new novelette, Lake of Souls.Journey across the stars of the Imperial Radch universe.Listen to the words of the Old Gods that ruled The Raven Tower.Learn the secrets of the mysterious Lake of Souls.And so much more, in this masterfully wide-ranging and immersive short fiction collection from award-winning author Ann Leckie.Contents:The Lake of SoulsStories from the world of the Imperial RadchNight's Slow PoisonShe Commands Me and I ObeyThe Creation and Destruction of the WorldStories from the world of The Raven TowerThe God of AuThe NalendarThe Snake's WifeMarsh GodsThe Unknown GodBeloved of the SunSaving BaconSci-FiFootprintsHesperia and GloryThe Endangered CampAnother Word for WorldThe JustifiedFantasyBury the DeadThe Sad History of the Tearless Onion
Lake of Souls: The Collected Short Fiction
by Ann LeckieHugo, Nebula, and Arthur C. Clarke award-winner Ann Leckie is a modern master of the SFF genre, forever changing its landscape with her groundbreaking ideas and powerful voice. Now, available for the first time comes the complete collection of Leckie's short fiction, including a brand new novelette, &“Lake of Souls.&” Journey across the stars of the Imperial Radch universe. Listen to the words of the Old Gods that ruled the Raven Tower. Learn the secrets of the mysterious Lake of Souls. And so much more, in this masterfully wide-ranging and immersive short fiction collection from award-winning author Ann Leckie.
Lake of the Long Sun (Book Of The Long Sun Ser. #2)
by Gene WolfeIt is the far future, and the giant spaceship, The Whorl, has travelled for forgotten generation towards its destination. Lit inside by the artificial Long Sun, The Whorl is so huge that you can see whole cities in the sky. And now the gods of The Whorl begin to intervene in human affairs. A god speaks to Patera Silk, a clergyman at work in the schoolyard of his church. Silk must go on a quest to save his church and his people.
Lakelore
by Anna-Marie McLemoreIn this young adult novel by award-winning author Anna-Marie McLemore, two non-binary teens are pulled into a magical world under a lake - but can they keep their worlds above water intact? Everyone who lives near the lake knows the stories about the world underneath it, an ethereal landscape rumored to be half-air, half-water. But Bastián Silvano and Lore Garcia are the only ones who’ve been there. Bastián grew up both above the lake and in the otherworldly space beneath it. Lore’s only seen the world under the lake once, but that one encounter changed their life and their fate.Then the lines between air and water begin to blur. The world under the lake drifts above the surface. If Bastián and Lore don’t want it bringing their secrets to the surface with it, they have to stop it, and to do that, they have to work together. There’s just one problem: Bastián and Lore haven’t spoken in seven years, and working together means trusting each other with the very things they’re trying to hide.
Lakesedge
by Lyndall ClipstoneA lush, gothic fantasy from debut author Lyndall Clipstone about monsters and magic, set on the banks of a cursed lake, perfect for fans of Naomi Novik and Brigid Kemmerer.When Violeta Graceling and her younger brother Arien arrive at the haunted Lakesedge estate, they expect to find a monster. Leta knows the terrifying rumors about Rowan Sylvanan, who drowned his entire family when he was a boy. But neither the estate nor the monster are what they seem.As Leta falls for Rowan, she discovers he is bound to the Lord Under, the sinister death god lurking in the black waters of the lake. A creature to whom Leta is inexplicably drawn… Now, to save Rowan—and herself—Leta must confront the darkness in her past, including unraveling the mystery of her connection to the Lord Under.
Lakewood: A Novel
by Megan GiddingsNPR Book of the Year 2020Electric Literature: One of 55 Books by Women and Nonbinary Writers of Color to Read in 2020 | Lit Hub & The Millions: Most Anticipated Books of 2020 | Ms. Magazine: Anticipated 2020 Feminist Books | Refinery29: Books by Black Women We are Looking Forward To Reading | One of The Millions’ Most Anticipated Reads of 2020 | Amazon Book of the Month Pick | Audible Editor’s Pick | Essence’s Pick| Glamour’s Must Read | Ms. Magazine’s Anticipated Read of 2020 A startling debut about class and race, Lakewood evokes a terrifying world of medical experimentation—part The Handmaid’s Tale, part The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.When Lena Johnson’s beloved grandmother dies, and the full extent of the family debt is revealed, the black millennial drops out of college to support her family and takes a job in the mysterious and remote town of Lakewood, Michigan. On paper, her new job is too good to be true. High paying. No out of pocket medical expenses. A free place to live. All Lena has to do is participate in a secret program—and lie to her friends and family about the research being done in Lakewood. An eye drop that makes brown eyes blue, a medication that could be a cure for dementia, golden pills promised to make all bad thoughts go away.The discoveries made in Lakewood, Lena is told, will change the world—but the consequences for the subjects involved could be devastating. As the truths of the program reveal themselves, Lena learns how much she’s willing to sacrifice for the sake of her family. Provocative and thrilling, Lakewood is a breathtaking novel that takes an unflinching look at the moral dilemmas many working-class families face, and the horror that has been forced on black bodies in the name of science.
Lakhoni
by Jared GarrettLakhoni has been left for dead. When the King's guards attack his village and slaughter his people, he regains consciousness only to find his sister has been taken captive. Armed with only a bow, Lakhoni must traverse a brutal wilderness, face deadly warriors, and battle legendary tattooed assassins, all in order to save his sister's life. But along the way, he discovers his parents were not the simple villagers they seemed. Instead, they were hiding a great secret that goes back to the First Fathers. Lakhoni sets out to avenge his parents, but he isn't the only one who wants the king dead. Ancient enemies are poised to strike while traitors poison the kingdom from within. The life of the king and the fate of the kingdom hang in the balance.
Lalani of the Distant Sea
by Erin Kelly<P><P>Newbery Medalist Erin Entrada Kelly’s debut fantasy novel is a gorgeous, literary adventure about bravery, friendship, self-reliance, and the choice between accepting fate or forging your own path. <P><P>When Lalani Sarita’s mother falls ill with an incurable disease, Lalani embarks on a dangerous journey across the sea in the hope of safeguarding her own future. Inspired by Filipino folklore, this engrossing fantasy is for readers who loved Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon and Disney’s Moana. <P><P>Life is difficult on the island of Sanlagita. To the west looms a vengeful mountain, one that threatens to collapse and bury the village at any moment. To the north, a dangerous fog swallows sailors who dare to venture out, looking for a more hospitable land. And what does the future hold for young girls? Chores and more chores. <P><P>When Lalani Sarita’s mother falls gravely ill, twelve-year-old Lalani faces an impossible task—she must leave Sanlagita and find the riches of the legendary Mount Isa, which towers on an island to the north. But generations of men and boys have died on the same quest—how can an ordinary girl survive the epic tests of the archipelago? And how will she manage without Veyda, her best friend? <P><P>Newbery Medalist and New York Times–bestselling author Erin Entrada Kelly’s debut fantasy novel is inspired by Filipino folklore and is an unforgettable coming-of-age story about friendship, courage, and identity. Perfect for fans of Lauren Wolk’s Beyond the Bright Sea and Kelly Barnhill’s The Girl Who Drank the Moon.
Lallia: The Dumarest Saga Book 6 (DUMAREST SAGA)
by E.C. TubbDumarest continues his restless wandering - combing the spaceways for an ancient and almost forgotten planet called Earth. Then, on a primitive world, he fights a giant mutant for the life of the lovely psychic Lallia - and wins a vital clue that could lead him to the end of his quest . . . (First published 1971)
Lallia: The Dumarest Saga Book 6 (Dumarest Saga Ser.)
by E. C. TubbDumarest continues his restless wandering - combing the spaceways for an ancient and almost forgotten planet called Earth. Then, on a primitive world, he fights a giant mutant for the life of the lovely psychic Lallia - and wins a vital clue that could lead him to the end of his quest . . . (First published 1971)
Lally's Game: An AFK Book (Five Nights At Freddy's)
by Kelly Parra Scott Cawthon Andrea WaggenerFive Nights at Freddy's fans won't want to miss this collection of three chilling stories that will haunt even the bravest FNAF player...Some secrets are better left hidden . . . A forbidden artifact from her fiancé’s past beckons to Selena. Jessica leads a double-life from her friends and coworkers in the children’s wing of a hospital. Maya can’t resist the temptation to explore an off-limits area of Freddy Fazbear’s Mega Pizza Plex. But in the world of Five Nights at Freddy's, everything comes with a price to pay.In this first volume, Five Nights at Freddy's creator Scott Cawthon spins three sinister novella-length tales from uncharted corners of his series' canon.Readers beware: This collection of terrifying tales is enough to rattle even the most hardened Five Nights at Freddy's fans.
Lamarchos: Diadem From The Stars, Lamarchos, And Irsud (The Diadem Saga #2)
by Jo ClaytonSavage barbarians enslave Aleytys, the wearer of the Diadem, as she sails the stars in her quest to find her truth and her history in this science fiction adventure. The second book in author Jo Clayton's phenomenal Diadem science fiction space opera series continues the adventures of Aleytys, blessed and cursed by an alien power that has both marked and altered her, as she crosses the galaxy on an epic fantasy quest that rivals anything imagined by Andre Norton or C. J. Cherryh. When she donned the Diadem, Aleytys was changed forever. An artifact of tremendous power, it has given her psychic abilities beyond her comprehension or complete control, while making her a target of the distant, dangerous alien race that created it. However, survival for herself and her infant son is Aleytys's first priority as she searches for a home and a history. Her quest has brought her to the barbarous planet Lamarchos, where she intends to aid her companions--the thief Miks Stavver, the native Kale, and the psychotic criminal mastermind Maissa--in the theft of a valuable cache of powerful poaku stones. Moving across the perilous alien landscape in the guise of a mystical healer, Aleytys cannot help but attract the attention of the local gods, who expect her to do their bidding. But neither godly intervention nor the Diadem's awesome power can prevent the treacherous betrayal that will leave Aleytys stranded on this wild and dangerous planet--or save her from capture by the terrible zombie-like horde bringing chaos and horror to their world. Ingeniously melding science fiction space opera with fantastic invention, alien worlds and technologies with epic quest adventure, Clayton has created a unique universe of wonders and terrors. With her extraordinary Diadem Saga, she joins such acclaimed masters as Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey, and Marion Zimmer Bradley in the pantheon of speculative fiction's most revered science fantasists.
Lamb: A Novel
by Christopher MooreThe birth of Jesus has been well chronicled, as have his glorious teachings, acts, and divine sacrifice after his thirtieth birthday. But no one knows about the early life of the Son of God, the missing years - except Biff, the Messiah's best bud, who has been resurrected to tell the story in this divinely hilarious, yet heartfelt work 'reminiscent of Vonnegut and Douglas Adams' (Philadelphia Inquirer). Verily, the story Biff has to tell is a miraculous one, filled with remarkable journeys, magic, healings, kung fu, corpse reanimations, demons, and hot babes, Even the considerable wiles and devotion of the Saviour's pal may not be enough to divert Joshua from his tragic destiny. But there's no one who loves Josh more - except maybe 'Maggie,' Mary of Magdala - and Biff isn't about to let his extraordinary pal suffer and ascend without a fight.
Lame Fate | Ugly Swans (Rediscovered Classics)
by Boris Strugatsky Arkady Strugatsky Maya VinokourToday, Arkady and Boris Strugatsky are counted among the best science fiction writers of the twentieth century, but their relationship with the late-Soviet literary establishment in their home country of Russia was often fraught. Acclaimed during the brief Khrushchev Thaw, the Strugatskys began to fall from grace in the late 1960s as publishers became increasingly reluctant to release their works. The authors' inability to publish, however, diminished neither their productivity nor their popularity among readers. Their novels and short stories, retyped by hand, circulated widely through unofficial channels within the Soviet Union and occasionally turned up abroad in unauthorized translation.The nested novels Ugly Swans and Lame Fate offer insight into this period of enforced silence. Never before translated into English, Lame Fate is the first-person account of middle-aged author Felix Sorokin. When the Soviet Writers' Union asks him to submit a writing sample to a newfangled machine that can supposedly evaluate the "objective value" of any literary work, he faces a dilemma. Should he present something establishment-approved but middling, or risk sharing his unpublished masterpiece, which has languished in his desk drawer for years?Sorokin's masterwork is Ugly Swans, previously published in English as a standalone work but presented here in an authoritative new translation. Ugly Swans chronicles the travails of disgraced literary celebrity Victor Banev, who returns to his provincial hometown to find it haunted by the mysterious clammies—black-masked men residing in a former leper colony. Possessing supernatural talents, including the ability to control the weather, the clammies terrify the town's adult population but enthrall its teenagers, including Banev's daughter Irma. Together, Lame Fate and Ugly Swans illuminate some of the Strugatskys' favorite themes—the (im)possibility of political progress, the role of the individual in society, the nature of honor and courage, and the enduring value of art—in consummately entertaining fashion. By turns chilling, uproarious and moving, these intertwining stories are sure to delight readers from all walks of life.
Lame of Thrones: The Final Book in a Song of Hot and Cold
by The Harvard LampoonFrom Harvard's legendary humor publication comes an outrageous, uproariously funny parody of Game of Thrones, in the tradition of their previous bestselling parody book classics Bored of the Rings, Nightlight, and The Hunger Pains.An affectionate but take-no-prisoners send-up of the massive literary and television franchise, Lame of Thrones offers fans a way of reentering the fictional world they have come to love and merrily explodes all of its conventions -- as well as their expectations of the characters -- to hilarious ends. It may even leave you more satisfied than the actual TV ending of Game of Thrones. In fact, if it doesn't the Lampoon has really dropped the ball. Lame of Thrones will take you to Westopolis, where several extremely attractive egomaniacs are vying to be ruler of the realm and sit on the Pointy Chair. Our hero Jon Dough was a likely bet, but his untimely murder at the hands of his own men of the Night's Crotch has made that seem less likely. Will Dragon Queen Dennys Grandslam escape from her Clothkhaki captors and return to conquer the world? Or will she just get left in the desert counting grains of sand for the rest of the book? And what about Jon Dough's siblings? Will they be mentioned? Probably? Almost definitely, yes? It would be weird if they weren't prominent characters in the book, you say?To find out, read the book you wish George R.R. Martin would write but never will. The Lampoon -- the place where such comedy writers and performers as Conan O'Brien, Colin Jost, B.J. Novak, Patricia Marx, Alan Yang, Andy Borowitz and many more all got their start -- is ready to serve parody notice to the most entertaining, infuriating, and inescapable cultural phenomenon of the past decade.
Lament (The Ghost House Saga)
by Alexandra AdornettoFrom the New York Times bestselling author of the Halo trilogy comes a beautiful and powerful new novel. Alex is more real than anyone I've ever known. And him being dead...really doesn't change a thing. After the loss of her mother, Chloe Kennedy again starts seeing the ghosts that haunted her as a child. Spending time at her grandmother's country estate in England is Chloe's chance to get away from her grief and the spirits that trouble her. Until she meets a mysterious stranger... Alexander Reade is 157 years dead, with secrets darker than the lake surrounding Grange Hall and a lifelike presence that draws Chloe more strongly than any ghost before. But the bond between them awakens the vengeful spirit of Alexander's past love, Isobel. And she will stop at nothing to destroy anyone who threatens to take him from her. To stop Isobel, Chloe must push her developing abilities to their most dangerous limits, even if it means losing Alex forever...and giving the hungry dead a chance to claim her for their own.
Lament for Julia
by Susan TaubesA celestial overseer observes—and is continually confounded by—a young woman&’s path into adulthood in this uncanny and darkly humorous novel, unpublished until now and accompanied by a selection of the author&’s stories.Susan Taubes&’s novella &“Lament for Julia&” is the story of a young woman coming of age in the twentieth century as seen through the eyes of a sexless spirit who supposes himself to be charged with her oversight.What is this spirit? An operator from on high (though hardly holy), a narrative I, and a guiding presence that is more than a bit of a voyeur, who remains entirely unknown to Julia herself. About her, the spirit knows both a good deal and very little, since Julia&’s emotional and physical and sexual being are all baffling, if also fascinating, to an entity that is pure mind.The I and Julia are a mismatched couple, set up for failure from the start, it seems, even if they do somehow manage to deal in their different ways with childhood and Mother and Father Klopps and ugly pink outfits and dances and crushes for a while. After which come love and marriage, not necessarily in that order, at which point things really start to go wrong.Unpublished during Taubes&’s lifetime, &“Lament for Julia&” appears here with a selection of her stories. A brilliant metaphorical exploration of a woman&’s double consciousness that is also a masterpiece of the grotesque, it is a novel like no other, a book, as Samuel Beckett wrote to his French publisher, &“full of erotic touches of an emphatic sort [and] raw language,&” the product of an &“authentic talent,&” adding, &“I shall reread it.&”