The Quiet Twin: A Novel - Softcover

Vyleta, Dan

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1608198081 ISBN 13: 9781608198085

Publisher: Bloomsbury USA, 2012

Synopsis

Vienna, 1939. Professor Speckstein's dog has been brutally killed, the latest victim in a string of unsolved murders. Speckstein wants answers-but these are uncharitable times, and one must be careful where one probes ...

When an unexpected house call leads Dr. Beer to Speckstein's apartment, he finds himself in the bedroom of Zuzka, the professor's niece. Wide-eyed, flirtatious, and not detectably ill, Zuzka leads the young doctor to her window and opens up a view of their apartment block that Beer has never known. Across the shared courtyard, there is nine-year-old Anneliese, the lonely daughter of an alcoholic. Five windows to the left lives a secretive mime who comes home late at night and keeps something-or someone-precious hidden from view. From the garret drifts the mournful sound of a trumpet player, and a basement door swings closed behind the building's inscrutable janitor.

Does one of these enigmatic neighbors have blood on their hands?

Dr. Beer, who has his own reasons for keeping his private life hidden from public scrutiny, reluctantly becomes embroiled in an inquiry that forces him to face the dark realities of Nazi rule. By turns chilling and tender, The Quiet Twin explores a dystopian world of social paranoia, mistrust, and fear-and the danger of staying silent.

About this title

About the Author

Dan Vyleta is the son of Czech refugees who emigrated to Germany in the late 1960s. He holds a PhD in History from the University of Cambridge. His first novel, Pavel & I, was published to international acclaim. He lives in Wisconsin.

Review

''I was pleased to encounter the dark excitement of Dan Vyleta's The Quiet Twin . . . As in Hitchcock's Rear Window, paranoia mounts . . . [A] tense, well-wrought novel.'' --Wall Street Journal

''Vyleta carefully lays out the elements of a traditional mystery . . . and finds clever ways to subvert expectations.'' --New York Times Book Review

''[Vyleta is] the heir of the throne left empty since the death of Graham Greene. Yes, he's that damn good.'' --San Francisco Book Review

''Vyleta's second novel is truly a work of art; his deft manipulation of narrative and characters (and readers), a master class in psychological sleight of hand.'' --National Post (Toronto)

''As Vyleta weaves his taut narrative, readers strive with Beer for that acuteness of vision necessary to anticipate and explain the ominous twists of events played out in the shadow of Nazi fanaticism. Dark and disturbing, a novel of rare sophistication.'' --Booklist (starred review)

''Vyleta builds an atmosphere of fear and paranoia . . . With The Quiet Twin, he proves he's no one-book wonder.'' --Globe and Mail (Toronto)

''The novel pungently recreates the noxious ethos in which [Nazism] flourished, resembling Hitchcock's Rear Window rescripted by Dostoevsky and Kafka.'' --Sunday Times (London)

''Innocence and cunning, humour and pathos, sacrifice and cruelty -- all operate side by side in a world gone wrong in this breathtaking page-turner.'' --Winnipeg Free Press

''Vital, deftly realized characters populate Vyleta's simmering narrative . . . The Quiet Twin is a sharp and confident novel that captures the social paranoia and mistrust fomented by Nazism . . . Subtly engaging.'' --Independent (London)

''Beer is both an anomaly and the norm: a perceptive mind subdued by sour principles; a compassionate heart in a cowardly body. When push comes to shove, as it nearly always does, what good are thoughts against brute force? . . . Nimble, nuanced, fierce, scrupulous, [The Quiet Twin] makes a good case for the power of such thoughts.'' --Times Literary Supplement (London)

''A compelling rumination on watching and watchfulness, served up with Nabokovian glee.'' --Guardian (London)

''A striking, pitch-perfect, wonderfully atmospheric, and beautifully written ensemble piece that subtly portrays a society on the brink of moral collapse.'' --Sunday Telegraph (London)

''Working primarily through mood, atmospherics, and the general air of malevolence with which he surrounds the action, Vyleta memorably conjures up the darkness both of the times and of the Nazi mind.'' --Library Journal

''[A] captivating detective story . . . Readers will appreciate the novel's well-crafted pathos, dark humor, and chills.'' --Publishers Weekly

''As Vyleta weaves his taut narrative, readers strive with Beer for that acuteness of vision necessary to anticipate and explain the ominous twists of events played out in the shadow of Nazi fanaticism. Dark and disturbing, a novel of rare sophistication.'' --Booklist (starred review)

''Vyleta builds an atmosphere of fear and paranoia . . . With The Quiet Twin, he proves he's no one-book wonder.'' --Globe and Mail (Toronto)

''The novel pungently recreates the noxious ethos in which [Nazism] flourished, resembling Hitchcock's Rear Window rescripted by Dostoevsky and Kafka.'' --Sunday Times (London)

''Innocence and cunning, humour and pathos, sacrifice and cruelty -- all operate side by side in a world gone wrong in this breathtaking page-turner.'' --Winnipeg Free Press

''Vital, deftly realized characters populate Vyleta's simmering narrative . . . The Quiet Twin is a sharp and confident novel that captures the social paranoia and mistrust fomented by Nazism . . . Subtly engaging.'' --Independent (London)

''Beer is both an anomaly and the norm: a perceptive mind subdued by sour principles; a compassionate heart in a cowardly body. When push comes to shove, as it nearly always does, what good are thoughts against brute force? . . . Nimble, nuanced, fierce, scrupulous, [The Quiet Twin] makes a good case for the power of such thoughts.'' --Times Literary Supplement (London)

''A compelling rumination on watching and watchfulness, served up with Nabokovian glee.'' --Guardian (London)

''A striking, pitch-perfect, wonderfully atmospheric, and beautifully written ensemble piece that subtly portrays a society on the brink of moral collapse.'' --Sunday Telegraph (London)

''Working primarily through mood, atmospherics, and the general air of malevolence with which he surrounds the action, Vyleta memorably conjures up the darkness both of the times and of the Nazi mind.'' --Library Journal

''[A] captivating detective story . . . Readers will appreciate the novel's well-crafted pathos, dark humor, and chills.'' --Publishers Weekly

About this edition

• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA
• Publication date: 2012
• ISBN 10: 1608198081
• ISBN 13: 9781608198085
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 384