From the award-winning author ofThe Bellwether Revivalscomes a
"gorgeous and harrowing work" (Emily St. John Mandel) set on a
mysterious island, where artists strive to recover their lost gifts--and
where nothing is quite as it seems.
Situated on a Turkish island, Portmantle might be the strangest, most
exclusive artists' colony around. Its brilliant residents linger for
years, all expenses paid and living under assumed names. Relieved of the
burdens of time and ego, they are free to create their next
masterpieces.
Elspeth Conroy (aka "Knell") is a Scottish painter who has been at
Portmantle for a decade, a refugee from the hectic London art scene. Her
fellow longtimers include Quickman, whose sole book became a classic and
paralyzed his muse; MacKinney, a playwright who left behind her family;
and Pettifer, an architect obsessing over an unfinished cathedral. In
his astonishing second novel, Benjamin Wood gives us an
intenselyintimate portrait of an artist as a young woman, with truths on
every page (Independent).
The hermetic world at Portmantle shatters when the 17-year-old Fullerton
arrives at the gates, his provenance and talents unknown. As Knell
searches for answers, she reveals the path that led her to this place:
Her intimate bond with her gruff drunk of a mentor; her early successes
and crushing failures; a journey across the Atlantic and into the
psychiatrist's office; and a grand commission of astronomical
significance.
What is "The Ecliptic," and how does it relate to the life Elspeth left
behind? This gorgeous puzzle of a novel touches the head and the heart,
and the effect is nothing short of electrifying.
From the Hardcover edition."
