Eight Months on Ghazzah Street A Novel

When Frances Shore moves to Saudi Arabia, she settles in a nondescript sublet, sure that common sense and an open mind will serve her well with her Muslim neighbors. But in the dim, airless flat, Frances spends lonely days writing in her diary, hearing the sounds of sobs through the pipes from the floor above, and seeing the flitting shadows of men on the stairwell. It's all in her imagination, she's told by her neighbors; the upstairs flat is empty, no one uses the roof. But Frances knows otherwise, and day by day, her sense of foreboding grows even as her sense of herself begins to disintegrate. Hilary Mantelis the critically acclaimed author of eight novels, includingThe Giant, O'BrienandA Change of Climate, and a memoir,Giving Up the Ghost. A winner of the Hawthornden Prize, she reviews books forThe New York TimesandThe New York Review of Books. She lives in England. When Frances Shore moves to Saudi Arabia, she settles in a nondescript sublet, sure that common sense and an open mind will serve her well with her Muslim neighbors. But in the dim, airless flat, Frances spends lonely days writing in her dairy, hearing the sounds of sobs through the pipes from the floor above, and seeing the flitting shadows of men on the stairwell. It's all in her imagination, she's told by her neighbors; the upstairs flat is empty, no one uses the roof. But Frances knows otherwise, and day by day, her sense of foreboding grows even as her sense of herself begins to disintegrate. "A bold, searingly honest and uncompromising novel."San Francisco Chronicle "A heady spice of significance cleverly spiced with an aura of lurking menace."The New York Times Book Review "A violent conspiracy tale with a nuanced psychological portrait of a woman learning to trust her own eyes and ears."Entertainment Weekly "A tautly written tale of suspense that makes brilliant use of monotony and claustrophobia to heighten the heroine's growing sense of danger."The Washington Post Book World "[A] blend of dark and light, comedy and tragedy, heart-in-the-mouth narrative and slow-working analysis of the human condition."Los Angeles Times

Hilary Mantel is the critically acclaimed author of eight novels, including The Giant, O’Brien, and a memoir forthcoming from Henry Holt. Winner of the Hawthornden Prize, she reviews for The New York Times and The New York Review of Books. She lives in England.

"A bold, searingly honest and uncompromising novel." --San Francisco Chronicle

"A heady spice of significance cleverly spiced with an aura of lurking menace." --The New York Times Book Review

"A violent conspiracy tale with a nuanced psychological portrait of a woman learning to trust her own eyes and ears." --Entertainment Weekly

"A tautly written tale of suspense that makes brilliant use of monotony and claustrophobia to heighten the heroine's growing sense of danger." --The Washington Post Book World

"[A] blend of dark and light, comedy and tragedy, heart-in-the-mouth narrative and slow-working analysis of the human condition." --Los Angeles Times