Your cart

Close

Total AUD

Checkout
Search
Search Clear
View All Results
  1. Books
  2. Kuchenga Shenje
  3. The Library Thief: The Binding meets The Vanishing Half in this gripping, original mystery
Play Sample

Imprint

  • Sphere
  • Sphere
  • Sphere

The Library Thief: The Binding meets The Vanishing Half in this gripping, original mystery

Kuchenga Shenje

6 Reviews

Rated 0

c 1800 to c 1900, Of specific Gay & Lesbian interest, Crime & mystery, Historical mysteries, Historical romance, Historical fiction

THE CONVERSATION-STARTING DEBUT: an original, incendiary mystery about a white-passing bookbinder in Victorian Britain.

The Binding meets The Vanishing Half in this extraordinary historical debut - perfect for readers who love gothic mysteries with books at the heart of them, as well as stories about people often overlooked by history.

'Intriguingly and superbly plotted. Weaves race, identity, feminism, sexuality and class into a beguiling mystery' Woman & Home

Some secrets are too scandalous to conceal...

Since they left Jamaica for England, Florence's father has tried to tame her - from hot-combing her unruly hair to training her in the art of bookbinding. But when Florence brings scandal to his door, he throws her onto the streets.

Florence has nowhere to turn until, intercepting her father's commission to restore a private library, she talks her way into the remote, imposing Rose Hall. There, even the wonders of Lord Belfield's library can't distract Florence from the whisper of scandal around the late lady of the house and her black maid.

Then one night, someone breaks into the library - yet strangely, they take none of the priceless tomes. Discovering a half-burned diary in the fireplace, Florence holds the key to a mystery that will reshape everything she knows about herself, and shake Rose Hall to its very foundations . . .

'Swells with secrecy and intrigue' Candice Carty-Williams, author of Queenie
'A love letter to the golden age of Du Maurier and Bronte. Lyrical, beguiling and powerfully relevant' Juno Dawson, author of Her Majesty's Royal Coven
'If this book's a thief of anything - it was of my attention. I was hooked' Cari Thomas, author of Threadneedle
'Powerful and wholly original' Joanne Burn, author of The Hemlock Cure
'Gut-wrenchingly conveys a unique historical perspective on race, gender and sexuality. [For] fans of Sarah Waters and Bridget Collins' Library Journal
'I was blown away' Stacey Thomas, author of The Revels
'Atmospheric, compelling Victorian gothic with a fresh twist' Freya Berry, author of The Birdcage Library

Read More Read Less

Praise for The Library Thief: The Binding meets The Vanishing Half in this gripping, original mystery

  • A tantalising read that swells with secrecy and intrigue. It's hard to believe that Kuchenga Shenje writes of the past, and not of the present. A beautifully and skilfully written debut

  • Intriguingly and superbly plotted . . . Shenje weaves race, identity, feminism, sexuality and class into a beguiling mystery - WOMAN & HOME

  • A love letter to the golden age of Du Maurier and Bronte, The Library Thief is lyrical, beguiling and powerfully relevant

  • If this book's a thief of anything - it was my attention. I was hooked, the story opening with the tantalising traditions of a gothic mystery and then unfurling in unexpected directions, threading themes of identity, sexuality and a woman's impossible choices into an intricate web of mysteries that would not let me go

  • Powerful, sagacious and warm, The Library Thief is both a gripping, multi-layered mystery and a gorgeously absorbing novel that demanded I return to its pages whenever I had the audacity to set it down. Without a doubt, Shenje's wholly original debut has bestseller written all over it

  • This debut gut-wrenchingly conveys a unique historical perspective on race, gender, and sexuality . . . Shenje shines a light on LGBTQIA+ love and people of color in Victorian England . . . Fans of Sarah Waters and Bridget Collins might have in Shenje a new author to add to their TBR lists - LIBRARY JOURNAL

Read More Read Less
Left
Right

Hachette Australia acknowledges and pays our respects to the past, present and future Traditional Owners and Custodians of Country throughout Australia and recognises the continuation of cultural, spiritual and educational practices of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Our head office is located on the lands of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation.

© Hachette Australia, All Rights Reserved · Site by Chook

Close
Loading Sorry, something's gone wrong. Please refresh the page and try again.
This website uses cookies. Using this website means you are okay with this but you can find out more and learn how to manage your cookie choices here.Close cookie policy overlay