The Merman
Home > Fiction and Literature > Fiction: general and literary > MODERN & contemporary fiction > The Merman: A Novel
The Merman: A Novel

The Merman: A Novel


     0     
5
4
3
2
1



Out of Stock


Notify me when this book is in stock
X
About the Book

Nella and her brother Robert live a difficult life with their mother and father in a small town on the west coast of Sweden. Robert is bullied at school, and Nella has to resort to debt and petty crime to pay off his tormentors. When she turns to her friend Tommy for help, her suspicions are aroused by the mysterious comings and goings of his brothers at their dilapidated boat house. But when she uncovers the reason behind their enigmatic behavior, her life is opened to the realities of a mindboggling secret. The Merman is a dark and haunting novel about sibling love and betrayal—and about what happens when the mundane collides with the strange and beautiful.

About the Author :
Carl-Johan Vallgren is the author of eight novels, two of which, The Horrific Sufferings of the Mind-reading Monster Hercules Barefoot and Documents Concerning Rubashov the Gambler, have been translated into English. His novels have been translated into eleven languages. He lives in Stockholm.

Review :
"A dark, brooding Scandinavian fantasy. A hauntingly affective fable." -- Booklist "Vallgren has written a deeply dark novel. Nella's wise stoicism makes her a memorable and affecting character, and her connection to the mistreated merman shows that working toward understanding is what can ultimately lead to redemption. A grim and moving contemporary fairy tale." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred review) "A gloriously inventive historical adventure." -- The Times "Vallgren's merman sits, tonally, directly across from Disney's Ariel. His riveting newly translated novel, The Merman, aligns more with his Scandinavian predecessor Hans Christian Andersen. There is nothing fanciful about this merman and his existence. There's a trembling beauty to the darkness in this book and how it views hope." -- Washington Post "Vallgren will send you into new imaginative depths with The Merman, his unexpectedly arresting saga of magic realism. It is a revelation, and a riveting one at that. Packed with bracing and utterly believable brutality; it does not flutter but treads heavily, with deep social and literary purpose. This novel hooks you quietly, though insistently, with the gathering sense that events are pulsing toward something volatile and spectacular." -- Boston Globe "Sensational. Vallgren has a superb talent, and makes witty and convincing cameos of the infamous and the great." -- The Financial Times "A heart-aching novel that resonated with me on a level I did not know existed. It's a book I strongly recommend." -- Kansas City Star "Frame[s] the everyday with an almost medieval fascination with the grotesque and the macabre." -- Metro "Realistic and heartbreaking. A dark fairy tale about a mythical creature from the deep and the possibility of resisting evil. Nella is a burdened but strong and compassionate young woman and wins the reader's heart. Vallgren evokes his fantasy element with wonder and detail; The Merman is a singular story. Fans of adult fairy tales and bleak realism will be haunted and enthralled by this novel of human tragedies, and the mystery of what lies beyond." -- Shelf Awareness "There are some nicely observed episodes here and disturbing metaphors that offer brilliant, brief illuminations of his brutal subject matter." -- The New Statesman "Enigmatic. " -- The New Yorker


Best Sellers


Product Details
  • ISBN-13: 9781605989129
  • Publisher: Pegasus Books
  • Binding: Hardback
  • Language: English
  • Returnable: Y
  • Sub Title: A Novel
  • Width: 160 mm
  • ISBN-10: 1605989126
  • Publisher Date: 01 Jan 2016
  • Height: 236 mm
  • No of Pages: 256
  • Spine Width: 23 mm
  • Weight: 382 gr


Similar Products

Add Photo
Add Photo

Customer Reviews

REVIEWS      0     
Click Here To Be The First to Review this Product
The Merman: A Novel
Pegasus Books -
The Merman: A Novel
Writing guidlines
We want to publish your review, so please:
  • keep your review on the product. Review's that defame author's character will be rejected.
  • Keep your review focused on the product.
  • Avoid writing about customer service. contact us instead if you have issue requiring immediate attention.
  • Refrain from mentioning competitors or the specific price you paid for the product.
  • Do not include any personally identifiable information, such as full names.

The Merman: A Novel

Required fields are marked with *

Review Title*
Review
    Add Photo Add up to 6 photos
    Would you recommend this product to a friend?
    Tag this Book Read more
    Does your review contain spoilers?
    What type of reader best describes you?
    I agree to the terms & conditions
    You may receive emails regarding this submission. Any emails will include the ability to opt-out of future communications.

    CUSTOMER RATINGS AND REVIEWS AND QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS TERMS OF USE

    These Terms of Use govern your conduct associated with the Customer Ratings and Reviews and/or Questions and Answers service offered by Bookswagon (the "CRR Service").


    By submitting any content to Bookswagon, you guarantee that:
    • You are the sole author and owner of the intellectual property rights in the content;
    • All "moral rights" that you may have in such content have been voluntarily waived by you;
    • All content that you post is accurate;
    • You are at least 13 years old;
    • Use of the content you supply does not violate these Terms of Use and will not cause injury to any person or entity.
    You further agree that you may not submit any content:
    • That is known by you to be false, inaccurate or misleading;
    • That infringes any third party's copyright, patent, trademark, trade secret or other proprietary rights or rights of publicity or privacy;
    • That violates any law, statute, ordinance or regulation (including, but not limited to, those governing, consumer protection, unfair competition, anti-discrimination or false advertising);
    • That is, or may reasonably be considered to be, defamatory, libelous, hateful, racially or religiously biased or offensive, unlawfully threatening or unlawfully harassing to any individual, partnership or corporation;
    • For which you were compensated or granted any consideration by any unapproved third party;
    • That includes any information that references other websites, addresses, email addresses, contact information or phone numbers;
    • That contains any computer viruses, worms or other potentially damaging computer programs or files.
    You agree to indemnify and hold Bookswagon (and its officers, directors, agents, subsidiaries, joint ventures, employees and third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.), harmless from all claims, demands, and damages (actual and consequential) of every kind and nature, known and unknown including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising out of a breach of your representations and warranties set forth above, or your violation of any law or the rights of a third party.


    For any content that you submit, you grant Bookswagon a perpetual, irrevocable, royalty-free, transferable right and license to use, copy, modify, delete in its entirety, adapt, publish, translate, create derivative works from and/or sell, transfer, and/or distribute such content and/or incorporate such content into any form, medium or technology throughout the world without compensation to you. Additionally,  Bookswagon may transfer or share any personal information that you submit with its third-party service providers, including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc. in accordance with  Privacy Policy


    All content that you submit may be used at Bookswagon's sole discretion. Bookswagon reserves the right to change, condense, withhold publication, remove or delete any content on Bookswagon's website that Bookswagon deems, in its sole discretion, to violate the content guidelines or any other provision of these Terms of Use.  Bookswagon does not guarantee that you will have any recourse through Bookswagon to edit or delete any content you have submitted. Ratings and written comments are generally posted within two to four business days. However, Bookswagon reserves the right to remove or to refuse to post any submission to the extent authorized by law. You acknowledge that you, not Bookswagon, are responsible for the contents of your submission. None of the content that you submit shall be subject to any obligation of confidence on the part of Bookswagon, its agents, subsidiaries, affiliates, partners or third party service providers (including but not limited to Bazaarvoice, Inc.)and their respective directors, officers and employees.

    Accept

    New Arrivals


    Inspired by your browsing history


    Your review has been submitted!

    You've already reviewed this product!