‘A powerfully beautiful novel’ New York Times
‘Intoxicating. . . . Imbued with mystery and danger’ Emma Straub
‘Pochoda’s premise is inspired, the novel that unfolds even more so. Rich characters, surprising shifts of plot and mood. I loved it.’ Lionel Shriver
As the hot summer rolls on in Red Hook, Brooklyn, bored and listless fifteen-year-olds June and Val are looking for some fun. Forget the boys, the bottles, the coded whistles, Val wants to take a raft out onto the bay.
But out on the water, as the bright light of day gives way to darkness, the girls disappear, and only Val returns, washed ashore semi-conscious in the weeds.
June’s shocking disappearance will reverberate in the lives of many of Red Hook’s residents. Fadi, the Lebanese bodega owner, trolls for information about the crime. Cree, just beginning to pull it together after his father’s murder, unwittingly makes himself the chief suspect. And as Val emerges from the shadow of her missing friend, her teacher Jonathan will be forced to confront a past riddled with tragic sins of omission.
Combining intensely vivid prose with breathtaking psychological insight, Visitation explores a cast of solitary souls, pulled by family, love, and betrayal, who yearn for a chance to escape, no matter the cost.
‘Gritty and magical, filled with mystery, poetry and pain, Ivy Pochoda’s voice recalls Richard Price, Junot Diaz, and even Alice Sebold, yet it’s indelibly her own’ Dennis Lehane
‘Explores a community’s response to tragedy with crystalline prose, a dose of the uncanny, and an unblinking eye for both human frailty and resilience . . . Marvellous’ Deborah Harkness
‘Intoxicating. . . . Imbued with mystery and danger’ Emma Straub
‘Pochoda’s premise is inspired, the novel that unfolds even more so. Rich characters, surprising shifts of plot and mood. I loved it.’ Lionel Shriver
As the hot summer rolls on in Red Hook, Brooklyn, bored and listless fifteen-year-olds June and Val are looking for some fun. Forget the boys, the bottles, the coded whistles, Val wants to take a raft out onto the bay.
But out on the water, as the bright light of day gives way to darkness, the girls disappear, and only Val returns, washed ashore semi-conscious in the weeds.
June’s shocking disappearance will reverberate in the lives of many of Red Hook’s residents. Fadi, the Lebanese bodega owner, trolls for information about the crime. Cree, just beginning to pull it together after his father’s murder, unwittingly makes himself the chief suspect. And as Val emerges from the shadow of her missing friend, her teacher Jonathan will be forced to confront a past riddled with tragic sins of omission.
Combining intensely vivid prose with breathtaking psychological insight, Visitation explores a cast of solitary souls, pulled by family, love, and betrayal, who yearn for a chance to escape, no matter the cost.
‘Gritty and magical, filled with mystery, poetry and pain, Ivy Pochoda’s voice recalls Richard Price, Junot Diaz, and even Alice Sebold, yet it’s indelibly her own’ Dennis Lehane
‘Explores a community’s response to tragedy with crystalline prose, a dose of the uncanny, and an unblinking eye for both human frailty and resilience . . . Marvellous’ Deborah Harkness
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Reviews
The dealings with the tragedy within the first few chapters, reminded me so much of Twin Peaks . . . with Pochoda's clever prose, it soon becomes evident that between each of the characters there lays a gulf of isolation . . . Pochoda's prose and storytelling skill has managed with a clear and beautiful tact, to turn the town of Red Hook into the most fascinating character within the book. This makes the story both enchanting and tangible.
A powerfully beautiful novel
Gritty and magical, filled with mystery, poetry and pain, Ivy Pochoda's voice recalls Richard Price, Junot Diaz, and even Alice Sebold, yet it's indelibly her own.
Skilful... nuanced... Ms. Pochoda aspires to join female suspense novelists - among them, Tana French, Laura Lippman and Kate Atkinson - who are arguably writing more serious genre fiction than their male counterparts.