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Claire Harris
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English
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THE GIRL BELOW

Bianca Zander

Set in London, New Zealand, and the Greek Islands, THE GIRL BELOW is an emotionally riveting story of misconduct and self-discovery. THE GIRL BELOW will appeal to fans of Haruki Murakami's brand of magical realism, with the biting wit of Curtis Sittenfeld (with whom Zander has studied) and Zadie Smith, and chilling moments along the lines of The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters. The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield and Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger are also apt comparisons.
When 29-year old Suki Piper returns to London after years away following her mother's death, she anticipates a warm homecoming. Instead, she feels like a stranger in her hometown. Looking for a way back in, she makes a visit to Peggy, the charismatic bohemian who lived above her family's old Notting Hill flat. This encounter sets a series of events and memories into motion. As destitution requires Suki to look after Peggy's 16-year old grandson Caleb for the summer (on whom she has an entirely inappropriate crush), she's forced to confront some of the mysteries of her own life, as the past and present collide in transgression and betrayal. Who or what was the playful, disembodied hand that came out of the cupboard to untie the bows on the back of five-year-old Suki's dresses? Whose teeth did she find, years later, in the unholy soup at the bottom of a WWII air-raid shelter in the garden?

Bianca Zander is British but has lived in Auckland, New Zealand for several years. She is an editor at Little Treasures parenting magazine, and has had articles appear in national magazines and newspapers, including Sunday Star Times, The Listener, Dominion Post, and many more. In 2009, she wrote the dramatic short film The Handover, long-listed for the Cannes Film Festival and screened at the Chicago Film Festival. She also co-wrote an award-winning drama series called My Story (2006), and in 2005 co-directed, wrote, and produced an acclaimed short documentary for TV. She holds an MA in creative writing from Victoria University.
Available products
Book

Published 2023-05-26 by William Morrow/HarperCollins

Book

Published 2023-10-11 by William Morrow/HarperCollins

Comments

The novel is a slow, detailed and meandering exploration of Suki's troubled past and her efforts to rediscover her place in the world.

“I just loved THE GIRL BELOW—it's so real and moving, so funny and smart, so sharp and artful. In every sense, Bianca Zander is a fantastic writer, and I'm recommending this magical novel to all my friends.”

A strong debut and Zander's a writer with a promising future. Read more...

UK rights sold to Alma (May 16, 2012)

"The mystery at the core of this beautifully crafted novel was so compelling that I couldn’t sleep until I finished it. For such an evocative book, The Girl Below is utterly lacking in indulgence. This is a wonderful, surprising and accomplished debut novel and I’m already looking forward to more from Bianca Zander."

Radio Coverage Read more...

In this haunting debut novel, a young woman finds herself slipping back into her childhood to solve the mysteries of her dysfunctional family, along with the very idea of herself and her place in the world. Read more...

A well-crafted novel whose emotional impact will linger after the final page.

Zander’s debut brims with truth; her accuracy of detail and way with words can be dizzying. This is a nuanced, complex portrait of contemporary female subjectivity.”

“THE GIRL BELOW is an unusual book, at once a hyper-real portrayal of Suki Piper, a lonely drifter, and an intriguing supernatural mystery. Zander’s snappy rendering of London, Auckland and Skyros, and the people who fall into Suki's orbit, sucked me in and kept me hooked. These characters became so real to me that I was willing to believe anything their creator threw at me, however fantastical.”

THE GIRL BELOW/Zander, which William Morrow just published here debuted at #7 on the New Zealand (publisher is Penguin) fiction list!