The Blondes

A breakout novel for a young writer whose last book was shortlisted for the Trillium Prize alongside Anne Michaels and Margaret Atwood, and whom the Toronto Star called a "force of nature."

Hazel Hayes is a graduate student living in New York City when she learns that she is pregnant from an ill-advised affair with her married professor. More worrisome than the shock of this discovery is the apocalyptically bad timing: random but deadly attacks, all by women with light hair, have begun terrorizing the city's inhabitants. As the days pass, it becomes clear that the attacks are symptoms of a strange contagion that is transforming blondes from all walks of life--whether CEOs, flight attendants, students, accountants, television personalities, or academics--into rabid killers. Hazel--confused, desperate, almost penniless and soon visibly pregnant--flees the city and sets out to cross the border into Canada where she will find the one woman who just might be able to help her in a world gone awry.

Emily Schultz's previous works of fiction include Black Coffee Night and Joyland, which received rave reviews and award nominations. She has also published an acclaimed book of poetry, Songs for the Dancing Chicken. Her most recent novel, Heaven is Small, was a finalist for the prestigious 2010 Trillium Award. Schultz is the co-founder, with husband Brian Joseph Davis, of the popular and influential online literary magazine Joyland. She currently divides her time between her native southwestern Ontario and New York City.