The Pages - Hardcover

by Hugo Hamilton (Author)

An entirely original novel in which a book--Joseph Roth's masterpiece Rebellion--narrates its own astonishing life story, from 1930s Germany to the present day, at the heart of a gripping mystery.

"A powerful, powerful piece of work." --Colum McCann, best-selling author of Apeirogon

One old copy of the novel Rebellion sits in Lena Knecht's tote bag, about to accompany her on a journey from New York to Berlin in search of a clue to the hand-drawn map on its last page. It is the brilliantly captivating voice of this novel--a first edition nearly burned by Nazis in May 1933--that is our narrator.

Fast-paced and tightly plotted, The Pages brings together a multitude of dazzling characters, real and invented, in a sweeping story of survival, chance, and the joys and struggles of love. At its center are Roth, an Austrian Jewish author on the run, and his wife, Friederike, who falls victim to mental illness as Europe descends into war. With vivid evocations of Germany under Nazism and today, The Pages dramatically illuminates the connections between past and present as it looks at censorship, oppression, and violence. Here is a propulsive, inspiring tale of literature over a hundred years: a novel for book lovers everywhere that will bring a fresh audience to this acclaimed writer.

Author Biography

HUGO HAMILTON is the internationally acclaimed author of the memoirs The Speckled People (a New York Times notable book, hailed as a "masterpiece" by Colm Tóibín, translated into fifteen languages, and the winner of prizes in France and Italy) and The Harbor Boys. Also the author of five novels, one collection of short stories, and an original play, he has been awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany for his unique contribution to literature and cross-cultural understanding. He lives in Dublin.