To Bewitch a Hunter

“Proceed with caution because, as with many great books, not everything is entirely what it seems.”—Samanta Schweblin, National Book Award-winning author of Seven Empty Houses

“An astonishing writer. . . . Each of his books is, for me, an event.” —Mariana Enríquez, author of Our Share of Night

For fans of Pet Sematary and Tender is the Flesh, an award-winning novel from Argentina that begins when an adopted woman is approached by someone claiming to know what happened to her real parents—an encounter that triggers a hallucinatory odyssey into the dark years of dictatorship and a family history of disappearances and blood sacrifice.

“I know who you think you are, and I know who you truly are.”

One blustery winter’s day in Buenos Aires, Julia Ruiz discovers that she is being followed. Her stalker, an elegantly dressed older woman named Griselda, promises to explain herself and so, cautiously, Julia agrees to listen. Claiming to be her grandmother—her real grandmother—Griselda insists that Julia's mother and father are not her true parents. For Julia, long estranged from her family, this earth-shattering revelation almost comes as a relief. But, unbeknownst to her, this newfound birthright has already laid claim to her with a frightening grip. . . .

What follows is a terrifying odyssey into the dark years of the dictatorship that ruled Argentina and the story of the Lara family: the golden child Luis, his physician father Braulio, and the unforgettable Griselda—whose love and desperation drive them to strike a deal with a terror beyond comprehension. Winner of the prestigious Premio Clarín, To Bewitch a Hunter announces the chilling English debut of “an astonishing writer” (Mariana Enríquez).

Translated from the Spanish by Frank Wynne.