The Shadow Land

One

Sofia, the year 2008. The month of May, impeccable spring weather, and the goddess Capitalism sitting on her long-­since-­tawdry throne. On the top step outside Hotel Forest hovered a young woman, more a girl than a woman, and more a foreigner ­which she also was ­than anything else. The hotel looked out over NDK, the former communist regime s palace of culture, a giant concrete blossom now patrolled by teenagers; sunlight falling across the plaza glinted off their spiky heads. Alexandra Boyd, exhausted from an endless plane ride, stood watching the Bulgarian kids on their skateboards and trying to tuck her long straight hair behind one ear. To her right rose apartment buildings of ochre and gray stucco, as well as more recent glass-­and-­steel construction and a billboard that showed a woman in a bikini whose breasts surged out toward a bottle of vodka. Stately trees bloomed near the billboard, white and magenta ­horse chestnuts, which Alexandra had seen during a trip to France in college, her only other time on the European continent. Her eyes were gritty, her scalp grimed with the sweat of travel. She needed to eat, shower, sleep ­yes, sleep, after the final flight from Amsterdam, that jerking awake every few minutes into self-­exile across an ocean. She glanced down at her feet to make sure they were still there. Except for a pair of bright red sneakers, her clothes were simple ­thin blouse, blue jeans, a sweater tied around her waist ­so that she felt dowdy next to the tailored skirts and stilettos that made their way past her. On her left wrist, she wore a wide black bracelet; in her ears, spears of obsidian. She gripped the handles of a rolling suitcase and a dark satchel containing a guidebook, a dictionary, extra clothes. Over her shoulder she carried a computer bag and her loose multicolored purse with a notebook and a paperback of Emily Dickinson at the very bottom.

From her plane window, Alexandra had seen a city cradled in mountains and

Elizabeth Kostova is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Swan Thieves and The Historian. She graduated from Yale and holds an MFA from the University of Michigan, where she won a Hopwood Award for Novel-in-Progress. She is also co-founder of the Elizabeth Kostova Foundation for Creative Writing in Bulgaria.

A compelling and complex mystery, strong storytelling, and lyrical writing combine for an engrossing read. Publishers Weekly

In The Shadow Land, Elizabeth Kostova, a master storyteller, brings vividly to life an unfamiliar country Bulgaria and a painful history that feels particularly relevant now. You won t want to put down this remarkable book. Claire Messud, author of The Woman Upstairs

In this brilliant work, what appears at first a minor mystery quickly becomes emblematic of a whole country s hidden history. Lyrical and compelling, The Shadow Land proves a profound meditation on how evil is inflicted, endured, and, through courage and compassion, defeated. Elizabeth Kostova s third novel clearly establishes her as one of America s finest writers. Ron Rash, author of The Risen

The Shadow Land is thrilling, and not just as a gripping tale. It s also thrilling to watch such a talented writer cast her spell. The central character actually begins this deft novel in an urn, only to emerge as one of the most memorable characters I ve encountered in a long time. Richard Russo, author of Everybody s Fool

Transporting . . . draws us into Bulgarian history and character revelation like an elegant, mysterious labyrinth. Page-turning, evocative, and richly imagined. Dominic Smith, author of The Last Painting of Sara de Vos

Praise for Elizabeth Kostova s The Historian

Quite extraordinary . . . Kostova is a natural storyteller. . . . She has refashioned the vampire myth into a compelling contemporary novel, a late-night page-turner. San Francisco Chronicle

Hypnotic . . . a thrill ride through history. The Denver Post

Part thriller, part history, part romance . . . Kostova has a keen sense of storytelling and she has a marvelous story to tell. Baltimore Sun

Kostova s vampire is no campy Lugosi knockoff. . . . Blending history and myth, Kostova has fashioned a version