The Gloaming

"Deeply satisfying. Finn is a remarkably confident and supple storyteller. [ ] deserves major attention." —John Williams, "In this richly textured, intricately plotted novel, [Finn] assures us that heartbreak has the same shape everywhere. is chillingly cinematic in contrasting East Africa’s exquisite landscape with the region’s human needs. Yet even in a malevolent setting, Finn shows us acts of selflessness and redemption. Her fascination with the duality of Africa — “the most honest place on earth” — shines fiercely." —Lisa Zeidner, , Editors' Choice "A propulsive literary thriller. Finn, who writes with a psychological acuity that rivals Patricia Highsmith's, switches between Europe and Africa in tense alternating chapters, rewarding close attention. The book is terrific... subtle and thrilling. Remarkably well-paced and well-written... Don't expect to be able to set this book down or forget its haunted characters." — , starred "Intense, impressive." "I rarely get as invested in the outcome of a novel as I did reading , but the empathies that Finn evokes in this powerful and unpredictable book are not casual; these traumas could be our own. [Finn's] prose is hypnotic and knife-precise and at times so beautiful it's unnerving. I didn't read this book so much as I it and it will haunt me for a very, very long time." —Jill Alexander Essbaum, –bestselling author of Pilgrim's husband left her for another woman, stranding her in a Swiss town where she is involved in an accident that leaves three children dead. Cleared of responsibility though overcome with guilt, she absconds to Africa, befriending a series of locals each with their own tragic past. Mysteriously, the remains of an albino appear, spooking everyone—sign of a curse placed by a witch doctor—though its intended recipient is uncertain. Pilgrim volunteers to rid the town of the box and its contents, though wherever she goes, she can't shake the feeling that she's being followed. was born and raised in Kenya until age eleven, when she moved with her family to Connecticut. She is the author of the novel and wrote DisneyNature's beautiful, haunting flamingo epic , which was directed by her husband, filmmaker Matt Aeberhard. During the filming, Melanie established The Natron Healthcare Project, and now lives in Vermont with Matt and their twin daughters.