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by Sofia Ajram
A mindbending and visceral experimental horror about a young man trapped in an infinite Montreal subway station, perfect for readers of Mark Z. Danielewski and Susanna Clarke.
Vicken has a plan: throw himself into the Saint Lawrence River in Montreal and end it all for good, believing it to be the only way out for him after a lifetime of depression and pain. But, stepping off the subway, he finds himself in an endless, looping station.
Determined to find a way out again, he starts to explore the rooms and corridors ahead of him. But no matter how many claustrophobic hallways or vast cathedral-esque rooms he passes through, the exit is nowhere in sight.
The more he explores his strange new prison, the more he becomes convinced that he hasn't been trapped there accidentally, and amongst the shadows and concrete, he comes to realise that he almost certainly is not alone.
A terrifying psychological nightmare from a powerful new voice in horror.
"Equally haunting and heartbreaking, this complex meditation on belonging announces an exciting new voice in experimental horror." —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A gripping story that is as brutal as it is beautiful...A stellar option for fans of liminal-space horror like The Hollow Places by T. Kingfisher, as well as those who enjoy intense tales of an unreliable narrator exploring a terrifying and mysterious landscape, such as The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling." —Booklist (starred review)
"In this caustic confrontation with the self, Ajram's carefully crafted dread is a hand wrapped around your throat." —Andrew F. Sullivan, author of The Marigold
"Sofia Ajram has crafted a dizzying and unsettling story, beautifully navigating the stormy waters that lie between blind hope and clear-eyed despair. Coup de Grâce is a gift to anyone who reads it, wrapped neatly in slate gray paper and topped with a Möbius strip bow." —Scott Leeds, author of Schrader's Chord
"Intricately woven and often too upsetting to bear, Ajram's debut novella pulsates with a dizzying, almost mystifying energy. You will not feel safe while reading this book. A gift to be savored, a transgression to be endured." —Eric LaRocca, author of Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke
This information about Coup de Grâce was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Sofia Ajram (he/she) is a metalsmith and literary horror writer who specializes in feverish stories of anomalous architecture and gay pining. He is the editor of the forthcoming Bury Your Gays: An Anthology of Tragic Queer Horror. She has also given lectures on contemporary horror films at Monstrum Montreal and serves as a moderator of r/horror on Reddit. Sofia lives in Montreal with her cat Isa.
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