Sister Europe

''Sister Europe is so ambitious and ethically interested that it makes it clear that Zink is one of our most important contemporary writers.'' Guardian

As a Berlin night draws in around the pristine glass exterior of the Hotel Interconti, a ragtag group of friends, family, and potential lovers find themselves frustrated. By promise or threat, they have all gathered at a lavish celebration of an elderly author’s venerable career. But dinner is delayed, the speeches are a drag and the gang – a young trans teen and her father; an ageing publisher and his flakey date; a dog, a troubled heiress and an Arab Prince – begin to feel the pinch of boredom, hunger and horniness. Together they will make their bid for freedom, and will soon embark on an exhilarating odyssey through the city’s shadow and light. . .

Sophisticated, sexy and exquisitely funny, Sister Europe is the remarkable new novel from one of the most singular, brilliant writers working today: a vivid tale of growing up, growing old and getting down.

''Nell Zink is a writer of extraordinary talent and range. Her work insistently raises the possibility that the world is larger and stranger than the world you think you know'' Jonathan Franzen

''To stay out late in Zink’s world, loitering, is a pleasure. Her voice is cool and fastidious, but she has a screwball quality — a comic sensibility rooted in pain.'' New York Times

''An extraordinary talent… Zink is in the company of not only Jonathan Franzen, but also Donna Tartt, Philip Roth and Tom Wolfe'' Daily Telegraph