The Secret - Softcover

Hoffman, Eva

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0099428458 ISBN 13: 9780099428459

Publisher: Vintage, 2003

Synopsis

'Of course, I've always had a secret. Have I always known it? I suppose I did, in a way - in the way that children know such things. That is, I knew and didn't know-'In this novel, Eva Hoffman explores various kinds and strata of secrets: intimate secrets, and secrets of family past; the kinds of secrets that can be decoded from clues, and the kind that themselves seem to offer tantalizing clues to the fundamental mysteries of the human selfhood. This is a story about a peculiarly powerful mother-daughter bond and about a haunting, about a young woman's quest for individuation and the challenges posed by contemporary science to our deepest notions of individuality. Using the near future to reflect on the conditions of the present, Hoffman has written a tale that grapples with the oldest riddles of identity, consciousness and self-knowledge - a novel of ideas for our time, and an imaginative fable whose resonance is timeless.

About this title

Review:

‘A serious, intelligent, psychological novel which will enhance her reputation for wise words gracefully expressed’ -- Financial Times

‘Hoffman questions the notion of identity and conducts an exploration into the special bonds formed and broken in mother-daughter relationships...Gripping’ -- The Times

‘Intriguing and deeply sinister...Compelling in both its cool intelligence and its insistent moral questioning’ -- Guardian

‘The futuristic world is imagined with rigour, and is compellingly convincing. This is a sophisticated and articulate fable’ -- Scotland on Sunday

‘With a shrewd regard for language and gesture, Hoffman teases out the tell-tale signs of an alienated soul...' -- Independent on Sunday

From the Publisher:

A magnificent debut novel from the acclaimed author of Shtetl, Lost in Translation and Exit into History.

About this edition

• Publisher: Vintage
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0099428458
• ISBN 13: 9780099428459
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 272