The Zigzag Way

A Novel

Fiction & Literature, Literary
Cover of the book The Zigzag Way by Anita Desai, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Anita Desai ISBN: 9780544356993
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publication: March 4, 2014
Imprint: Mariner Books Language: English
Author: Anita Desai
ISBN: 9780544356993
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Publication: March 4, 2014
Imprint: Mariner Books
Language: English

A young American in Mexico discovers his family’s past—and a present-day danger—in this “elegant, exquisite” novel of suspense (Elle).
 
Eric is a newly minted historian just out of graduate school, plagued by self-doubt over both his past choices and his future options. With no clear direction, he follows his lover, Em, when she travels to the Yucatan for her scientific research, but ends up alone in this foreign place. And so he pursues his own private quest, tracing his family’s history to a Mexican ghost town, where, a hundred years earlier, young Cornish miners—among them Eric’s grandparents—toiled to the death.
 
Now, in place of the Cornish workers, the native Huichol Indians suffer the cruelty of the mines. When he inquires into their lives, Eric provokes the ire of their self-appointed savior, Dona Vera. Known as the “Queen of the Sierra,” Dona Vera is the widow of a mining baron who has dedicated her fortune to preserving the Huichol culture. But her formidable presence belies a dubious past.
 
The zigzag paths of these characters converge on the Day of the Dead, bringing together past and present in a moment of powerful epiphany. Haunting and atmospheric, with splashes of exuberant color and darker violence, The Zigzag Way is “a beautifully rendered combination of history, folklore, and modern fiction” (Entertainment Weekly), from a Booker Prize finalist.
 
“Long before Jhumpa Lahiri . . . long before Monica Ali . . . another novelist was offering us exquisitely detailed portraits of bodies in transit [and] classes in the art of sly and sensuous fiction . . . Anita Desai was a global, migrant writer before such a thing was fashionable.” —Time
 
“Almost unbearably suspenseful.” —The Boston Globe
 
“A hypnotic journey.” —San Jose Mercury News

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

A young American in Mexico discovers his family’s past—and a present-day danger—in this “elegant, exquisite” novel of suspense (Elle).
 
Eric is a newly minted historian just out of graduate school, plagued by self-doubt over both his past choices and his future options. With no clear direction, he follows his lover, Em, when she travels to the Yucatan for her scientific research, but ends up alone in this foreign place. And so he pursues his own private quest, tracing his family’s history to a Mexican ghost town, where, a hundred years earlier, young Cornish miners—among them Eric’s grandparents—toiled to the death.
 
Now, in place of the Cornish workers, the native Huichol Indians suffer the cruelty of the mines. When he inquires into their lives, Eric provokes the ire of their self-appointed savior, Dona Vera. Known as the “Queen of the Sierra,” Dona Vera is the widow of a mining baron who has dedicated her fortune to preserving the Huichol culture. But her formidable presence belies a dubious past.
 
The zigzag paths of these characters converge on the Day of the Dead, bringing together past and present in a moment of powerful epiphany. Haunting and atmospheric, with splashes of exuberant color and darker violence, The Zigzag Way is “a beautifully rendered combination of history, folklore, and modern fiction” (Entertainment Weekly), from a Booker Prize finalist.
 
“Long before Jhumpa Lahiri . . . long before Monica Ali . . . another novelist was offering us exquisitely detailed portraits of bodies in transit [and] classes in the art of sly and sensuous fiction . . . Anita Desai was a global, migrant writer before such a thing was fashionable.” —Time
 
“Almost unbearably suspenseful.” —The Boston Globe
 
“A hypnotic journey.” —San Jose Mercury News

More books from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Cover of the book Time Travel in Einstein's Universe by Anita Desai
Cover of the book Arresting God in Kathmandu by Anita Desai
Cover of the book My Vegetable Love by Anita Desai
Cover of the book A Perfect Peace by Anita Desai
Cover of the book Curious George Plants a Seed (CGTV Reader) by Anita Desai
Cover of the book Chuck's Band by Anita Desai
Cover of the book Darwin's Athletes by Anita Desai
Cover of the book The Life Before Her Eyes by Anita Desai
Cover of the book All Strangers Are Kin by Anita Desai
Cover of the book The Hard Kind of Promise by Anita Desai
Cover of the book Girl Sleuth by Anita Desai
Cover of the book CliffsNotes on Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby by Anita Desai
Cover of the book Pay Any Price by Anita Desai
Cover of the book Dinner in Minutes by Anita Desai
Cover of the book Homo Faber by Anita Desai
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy