The Rabbit Back Literature Society
Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen
A highly contagious book virus, a literary society and a Snow Queen-like disappearing author
'She came to realise that under one reality there's always another. And another one under that.'
Only very special people are chosen by children's author Laura White to join 'The Society', an elite group of writers in the small town of Rabbit Back.
Now a tenth member has been selected: Ella, literature teacher and possessor of beautifully curving lips.
But soon Ella discovers that the Society is not what it seems. What is its mysterious ritual, 'The Game'? What explains the strange disappearance that occurs at Laura's winter party, in a whirlwind of snow? Why are the words inside books starting to rearrange themselves? Was there once another tenth member, before her?
Slowly, disturbing secrets that had been buried come to light...
In this chilling, darkly funny novel, the uncanny brushes up against the everyday in the most beguiling and unexpected of ways.
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About Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen
Reviews for The Rabbit Back Literature Society
Catherine Taylor Sunday Telegraph Unnerving, enigmatic... Hints of Let the Right One In and Haruki Murakami's elliptical early science fiction novels flavour a creepy tale about mutating books, buried secrets and ghostly encounters
James Lovegrove Financial Times The Rabbit Back Literature Society is a lobster pot of a book... an exquisite balance of suspense, precision-engineered structure and darkly playful humour... fascinating. And fun.
5-star review SFX Charming and intriguing, switching from playful to creepy to heartfelt and back again... good fun Bookbag Mixes the small-town surrealism of Twin Peaks with the clandestine-society theme of Donna Tartt's The Secret History The List Charming, chilling and gripping from its very first page Bizarre A novel about big questions ... wonderful characters... amazing TQR Stories Sly wit... characterises The Rabbit Back Literature Society Metro A witty Finnish novel Observer I can't even begin to try to describe this book. Nor... to do justice to its eerie nuttiness. But if, like me, you're still a little bit obsessed with who killed Laura Palmer, you'll love it Harper's Bazaar A playful fantasy... [Jaaskelainen] deftly plumbs the neuroses of artistic vanity and obsession... I felt the slow pulse that guided the book; it skirts genres and stays refreshingly weird Quadrapheme Veering between infectious comedy and dark thriller, this is a beguiling read The Lady Is Jaaskelainen the new Murakami? Answers to the editor Glasgow Herald Thrilling Shortlist Lola Rogers' admirable translation catches both the darkness and playful wit of Jaaskelainen's original Tablet It's all rather brilliant Worm Hole Deliciously dark metafiction Sydney Morning Herald A very odd but engaging book by a Finnish author with an extraordinary imagination The Westmorland Gazette