'Intriguing propulsive and profoundly disturbing this is a fearless look into the dark heart
of family politics from a naturally gifted storyteller' JONATHAN COE THE ROSENTHALS ARE NOT
LIKE OTHER FAMILIES Hannah and Eric are devout Jews living in North London with their three
children and Eric's father Yosef a Holocaust survivor. Both intellectually gifted and deeply
unconventional the Rosenthals believe in the literal truth of the Old Testament and in the
presence of God (and evil) in daily life. As Hannah prepares to publish a sensationalist
account of Yosef's years in war-torn Europe - unearthing a terrible secret from his time in the
camps- Elsie her perfect daughter starts to come undone. And then in the wake of Yosef's
death she disappears. When she returns just as mysteriously as she left she is altered in
disturbing ways. Witnessing the complete transformation of her daughter Hannah begins to
suspect that Elsie has delved too deep into the labyrinths of Jewish mysticism and got lost
among shadows. But for Elsie's brother Tovyah a brilliant but reclusive student at Oxford the
truth is much simpler: his sister is the product of a dysfunctional family obsessed with empty
rituals and unbridled ambition. But who is right? And how can they stop the darkness from
engulfing Elsie forever?
