The Morningside

Reviews

“The dreamlike novel draws on elements of folklore and fairy tales for a narrative set eerily close to present day that explores environmental collapse and human resilience.”—Time

“The textures of The Morningside—a familiar city, a familiar crisis, a familiar complacency—make this future feel closer, shot through with an almost excruciating intimacy. Here, storytelling is not a way of relating to a mythical past but of growing up in the long middest.”—The New Yorker

“By weaving in folklore and ample wonder, Obreht gives her climate fiction ancient roots, forcing us to reckon with the ruined world that future generations will inherit, while reminding us that even in the face of catastrophe, there’s solace to be found in art.”—The New York Times

“A touching, inventive novel about belonging and loss.”—People

“A beautiful examination of displacement, identity, and the effects of unchecked political power, enriched with touches of magical realism and dystopia.”—Bustle

“This touching and inventive novel follows a young woman searching for meaning and belonging, both through her loving aunt’s stories and the enigmatic resident of the building’s penthouse suite.”—Oprah Daily

“An astounding rethink of the mother-daughter narrative.”—Real Simple

“Try to read ten pages of this book and resist its fairy dust. . . . Obreht is a pure, natural storyteller with a direct hotline to the collective unconsciousness.”—Star Tribune

“Obreht is such an expert and generous storyteller, infusing The Morningside with the pleasures of folklore and fairy tale while simultaneously diving deep into the silences and irreconcilable contradictions in the stories we inherit about the past.”—Karen Russell, author of Orange World and Other Stories

“Imagine a Ballardian dystopia injected with a double dose of magic realism, so that the pages seem to glow. . . . An ideal novel in which all is invented and everything is true. I loved it.”—Ed Park, author of Same Bed Different Dreams

“Fresh and immensely gripping, The Morningside is a rich saga of migration and the search for belonging, bravely imagining our capacity for survival and love in an uncertain future. . . . A stunning achievement.”—Claire Vaye Watkins, author of I Love You But I’ve Chosen Darkness

“The Morningside is like nothing I’ve read—at once playful and profound, harrowing and tender, a sparklingly original story of coming of age in a broken world.”—Karen Thompson Walker, author of The Dreamers

“Obreht is offering a cautionary vision of what our future might look like, but she’s also asking questions that are as old as storytelling. What do we want to tell ourselves about ourselves? What do we try to hide from ourselves? And what’s the cost of our lives?”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“A bewitchingly atmospheric, psychologically lush, and deeply knowing tale of ancient sorrows and coalescing crises, courage and fortitude.”—Booklist (starred review) Expand reviews