In Sawgamet, a gold mining village gone bust, the cold of winter breaks the glass of the schoolhouse thermometer, and the dangers of working in the cuts are overshadowed by the mysteries and magic lurking in the woods.

On the eve of his mother's funeral, Stephen, a priest, sits to write her eulogy. It is thirty years since his grandfather returned to Sawgamet with a bundle of bones in search of his beloved, long-dead wife. As the evening turns into night and memories of his childhood begin to haunt him, like his grandfather Stephen must confront the losses of his - and Sawgamet's - past.

Magic, myth-making and thirty feet of snow: a startling debut novel with a touch of wonder

About the Author
Alexi Zentner was born in Ontario, Canada, and currently lives in Ithaca, New York, with his wife and two daughters. He has had short stories published in various American magazines and anthologies, including The 2008 O. Henry Prize Stories, The Atlantic Monthly and Tin House. Touch is his first novel.

Reviews
A stunning and provocative debut -- Tea Obreht, author of * The Tiger's Wife *
A remarkable novel, full of mystery and beauty, it chills you to the bone and then warms your heart -- Mary Lawson, author of THE OTHER SIDE OF THE BRIDGE
A ravishing and phantasmagorical tale, written with the elegance and quiet menace of snowfall -- Chloe Aridjis, author of BOOK OF CLOUDS
As dazzling as the snow that fills its pages, Touch marks Zentner out as a talent to watch * Sunday Times *
Subtly expresses the tension between civilisation and nature embedded deep in the Canadian psyche and the nation's founding myths -- Adrian Turpin * Financial Times *
[An] eerie, elegiac debut ... The rugged wilderness is captured exquisitely...and despite a narrative rife with tragedy, Zentner's elegant prose keeps the story buoyant. * Publishers Weekly *
Such memorable characters, such a strong sense of atmosphere, such grace, and all of these done with a wonderfully light touch...I was moved by the elegiac telling, the unapologetic tenderness that never became maudlin, and the characters...the narrator for whom my heart broke at the end. I will remember this story for a long time. -- Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie * Praise for short story 'Touch', the first chapter of the novel *
Touch is full of a sinister magic straight from the tradition of the Brothers Grimm: the dark, impenetrable forest, the ravenous water-witches, the menace of blizzards, the rivers that swallow people whole and leave them frozen in the ice all winter, straining to link hands. Such savagery, however, only illuminates the deeply human love in the marrow of this novel, which Zentner achieves with incredible grace and greatness of heart. -- Lauren Groff, author of * The Monsters of Templeton *
Alexi Zentner has created a seminal poetic story that resonates in our collective memory of timber, minerals and snow; of ghosts and gods and death; but above all, reminds us of the faith and love and optimism necessary for survival. -- Linden MacIntyre, author of * The Bishop's Man *
Touch is one of those rare novels that simultaneously takes hold of both your imagination and your heart and does not let go. In sharp, startling prose, Alexi Zenter seamlessly weaves the story of Sawgamet and its inhabitants, creating a world of myth and magic, hard truths, aching loss, and spectacular triumphs. It's a gem of a book. -- Aryn Kyle * author of The God of Animals *



Book Information
ISBN 9780099549260
Author Alexi Zentner
Format Paperback
Page Count 272
Imprint Vintage
Publisher Vintage Publishing
Weight(grams) 198g
Dimensions(mm) 197mm * 129mm * 18mm