Between Mountains

Maggie Helwig's stunning British debut is an extraordinary war novel, a poignant and gripping story about the ripples that carry on long after the fighting is over, and about two people kept apart by history, ethics and human frailty. Daniel is a war correspondent in Bosnia, a loner and a truthteller, up to a point, careless with everything except his sources. Lili is an interpreter, based in Paris, careful and meticulous. But when she finds herself working for the war crimes tribunal in The Hague, fails to declare her fragile relationship with Daniel.Between Mountains is a compelling novel of immediacy and power, about love and language, truth and lies, war crimes and the weight of history - with a vividly evoked and frighteningly real supporting cast of war criminals, lawyers, refugees and journalists.

“One of Maggie Helwig’s many accomplishments in this astonishing novel is her ability to render murderers, victims, and helpless bystanders as equally human. Her political intelligence and spiritual generosity make Between Mountains both a profound gesture of remembrance, as well as a deeply moving work of art.” -- Michael Redhill, author of Martin Sloane

“Maggie Helwig’s novel puts a human face to the criminal destruction of a place once called Yugoslavia. She reminds us that war ravages the souls of all who find themselves caught in its grasp, including journalists from afar; and of the healing power of love.” -- Erna Paris, author of Long Shadows

“When guns and flags stop talking, writers come to heal. Between Mountains is a rare novel about the repercussions of war. From Helwig’s beautiful novel one can learn more about honesty, passion for truth and love than from almost any other book on the tragic conflict in the Balkans.” -- Goran Simiæ, author of Immigrant Blues

“A passionate and poetic love story which never flinches from its task of exploring the way history compromises our lives.” -- Ben Richards, author of The Mermaid and the Drunks

Praise for Maggie Helwig:
“[Helwig is a] passionate observer and witness to the world around her.” -- Broken Pencil

“An inventive, intelligent, and unorthodox thinker.” -- Paragraph

“Helwig knows the precise details that render a scene true.” -- Quill & Quire

“Helwig’s strength is to take concrete subjects and generalize about the mystery of what it is to be human.” -- Malahat Review