An “enchanting” (Caroline Kepnes, author of You) New York City fairy tale about two sisters that fall under the spell of an underworld cabaret troupe that might be a dangerous cult—but one that makes the materialist world left in its wake feel like a sinister cult itself.
Rose has come a long way. Raised—and often neglected—by a wayward mother in New York City’s chaotic bohemia, Rose has finally built the life she’s always wanted: a good job at a self-help startup, a clean apartment, an engagement to a stable if self-satisfied tech CEO who shares her faith in human potential, hard work, and the sacrifice of childish dreams.
Rose’s sister Cecilia, on the other hand, never grew up. Irresponsible and impetuous, prone to jetting off to a European monastery one month and a falcon rescue the next, Cecilia has spent her life in pursuit of fairy-tale narratives of transcendence and true love—grand ideas Rose knows never work out in the real world. When Cecilia declares she’s come home to New York for good, following the ending of a whirlwind marriage, Rose hopes Cecilia might finally be ready to face adulthood: compromises and all.
But then Cecilia gets involved with the Avalon: a cultish-sounding cabaret troupe—one that appears only at night, on a mysterious red boat that travels New York’s waterways—and soon vanishes: one of a growing number of suspicious disappearances among the city’s lost and loneliest souls. The only way Rose can find Cecilia is by tracking down the Avalon herself.
But as Rose gets closer to solving the mystery of what happened to her sister, the Avalon works its magic on her, too. And the deeper she goes into the Avalon’s underworld, she more she begins to question everything she knows about her own life, and whether she’s willing to leave the real world behind.
Genre: Mystery
Rose has come a long way. Raised—and often neglected—by a wayward mother in New York City’s chaotic bohemia, Rose has finally built the life she’s always wanted: a good job at a self-help startup, a clean apartment, an engagement to a stable if self-satisfied tech CEO who shares her faith in human potential, hard work, and the sacrifice of childish dreams.
Rose’s sister Cecilia, on the other hand, never grew up. Irresponsible and impetuous, prone to jetting off to a European monastery one month and a falcon rescue the next, Cecilia has spent her life in pursuit of fairy-tale narratives of transcendence and true love—grand ideas Rose knows never work out in the real world. When Cecilia declares she’s come home to New York for good, following the ending of a whirlwind marriage, Rose hopes Cecilia might finally be ready to face adulthood: compromises and all.
But then Cecilia gets involved with the Avalon: a cultish-sounding cabaret troupe—one that appears only at night, on a mysterious red boat that travels New York’s waterways—and soon vanishes: one of a growing number of suspicious disappearances among the city’s lost and loneliest souls. The only way Rose can find Cecilia is by tracking down the Avalon herself.
But as Rose gets closer to solving the mystery of what happened to her sister, the Avalon works its magic on her, too. And the deeper she goes into the Avalon’s underworld, she more she begins to question everything she knows about her own life, and whether she’s willing to leave the real world behind.
Genre: Mystery
Praise for this book
"An utterly enchanting read that springs from the shadowy depths and liminal spaces of New York City, Here in Avalon dared us to shatter the binding social contracts we've signed in search of something greater, and is a dazzling testament to the realest magic in the world: family." - Ling Ling Huang
"Tara Isabella Burton's HERE IN AVALON is a salty, whimsical-in-the-best-way, windy, enchanting, operatic story. It made me feel like the luckiest reader in the world. There is so much to love in here, most of all, the refreshing cast of unforgettable characters, misfits and searchers who don't always know what they want, let alone how to get it. A truly exciting, stand-out, star of a book." - Caroline Kepnes
"Here in Avalon is a fascinating trip to a demimonde of Burton's prodigious imagination. In its mysterious bacchanal, we find a unique story about the seductions of art and beauty, and the temptation to leave the stultifying mainstream behind." - Lydia Kiesling
"A New York City fairy tale with the dark intrigue of a 1920s noir, Here In Avalon is a hypnotic story of sisterhood, tragedy, and yearning. For love, for art, for beauty - and for the reckless courage to chase them, no matter the cost." - Kat Rosenfield
"Tara Isabella Burton's HERE IN AVALON is a salty, whimsical-in-the-best-way, windy, enchanting, operatic story. It made me feel like the luckiest reader in the world. There is so much to love in here, most of all, the refreshing cast of unforgettable characters, misfits and searchers who don't always know what they want, let alone how to get it. A truly exciting, stand-out, star of a book." - Caroline Kepnes
"Here in Avalon is a fascinating trip to a demimonde of Burton's prodigious imagination. In its mysterious bacchanal, we find a unique story about the seductions of art and beauty, and the temptation to leave the stultifying mainstream behind." - Lydia Kiesling
"A New York City fairy tale with the dark intrigue of a 1920s noir, Here In Avalon is a hypnotic story of sisterhood, tragedy, and yearning. For love, for art, for beauty - and for the reckless courage to chase them, no matter the cost." - Kat Rosenfield
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