Short Fiction from the award-winning author of Bone House, The Bounce and Ice Land. A delicately wrought story of anger, yearning and desire...
My mother is dead. She died that I might live, they tell me, though I have no way of knowing. She is all hearsay, conjecture; nothing but other people's pictures painted on my brain. I think of her too often, and she is fluid, mysterious, ever-changing--not one but many people parading through my mind.
15th century Prague. Helen, the daughter of a wealthy nobleman, dwells in an atmosphere of suspicion and concealment, where displays of emotion are scarce, and affection even rarer. When her father hires a talented young craftsman to automate the city's clock, the town reacts in an uproar, alarmed by what they perceive to be the work of the devil. But Helen is intrigued. She becomes obsessed with the clock and its maker, and soon both time and Helen's world begin to unravel.
Praise for Betsy Tobin's novels:
'A gripping narrative shimmering with psychological depth.' The New York Times
'A surprisingly delicate murder mystery, tempered by great detail
and remarkable control.' Los Angeles Times
'A fine gothic novel which burrows under the skin.' The Times (London)
'An elegant, haunting novel.' Publishers Weekly
'An entertaining and highly original first novel.' Harpers & Queen
'Elegant and engrossing.' Chicago Tribune
'Beautiful, tense and moving.' Le Monde
Genre: Historical
My mother is dead. She died that I might live, they tell me, though I have no way of knowing. She is all hearsay, conjecture; nothing but other people's pictures painted on my brain. I think of her too often, and she is fluid, mysterious, ever-changing--not one but many people parading through my mind.
15th century Prague. Helen, the daughter of a wealthy nobleman, dwells in an atmosphere of suspicion and concealment, where displays of emotion are scarce, and affection even rarer. When her father hires a talented young craftsman to automate the city's clock, the town reacts in an uproar, alarmed by what they perceive to be the work of the devil. But Helen is intrigued. She becomes obsessed with the clock and its maker, and soon both time and Helen's world begin to unravel.
Praise for Betsy Tobin's novels:
'A gripping narrative shimmering with psychological depth.' The New York Times
'A surprisingly delicate murder mystery, tempered by great detail
and remarkable control.' Los Angeles Times
'A fine gothic novel which burrows under the skin.' The Times (London)
'An elegant, haunting novel.' Publishers Weekly
'An entertaining and highly original first novel.' Harpers & Queen
'Elegant and engrossing.' Chicago Tribune
'Beautiful, tense and moving.' Le Monde
Genre: Historical
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