An exciting debut novel about a close-knit Jewish family in London pushed to the brink when they suspect their daughter is a witch.

Hannah and Eric are devout Jews living in North London with their three children and Eric's father Yosef, a Holocaust survivor. Both intellectually gifted and deeply unconventional, the Rosenthals believe in the literal truth of the Old Testament and in the presence of God (and evil) in daily life.

As Hannah prepares to publish a sensationalist account of Yosef's years in war-torn Europe - unearthing a terrible secret from his time in the camps- Elsie, her perfect daughter, starts to come undone. And then, in the wake of Yosef's death, she disappears. When she returns, just as mysteriously as she left, she is altered in disturbing ways.

Witnessing the complete transformation of her daughter, Hannah begins to suspect that Elsie has delved too deep into the labyrinths of Jewish mysticism and got lost among shadows. But for Elsie's brother Tovyah, a brilliant but reclusive student at Oxford, the truth is much simpler: his sister is the product of a dysfunctional family, obsessed with empty rituals and unbridled ambition.

But who is right? And how can they stop the darkness from engulfing Elsie forever?

THERE ARE NO RELIABLE NARRATORS IN THIS HOUSE... Hannah and Eric are a successful couple living in North London with their three children and Eric's ageing father, Yosef. A family of devout Jews, they believe in the literal truth of the Old Testament and in the presence of God (and evil) in our daily lives. But the death of Yosef fractures the family's apparent harmony. As Hannah prepares to publish an account of her father-in-law's life - unearthing unsettling secrets of his time in the camps - Elsie, the family's perfect daughter, starts to come undone. And then she disappears, plunging her parents and siblings into a living nightmare. When she returns, just as mysteriously as she left, she is altered in disturbing ways. Witnessing the complete transformation of her daughter, Hannah begins to suspect Elsie has delved too deep into the mysteries of Jewish occult and got lost in the shadows. But for Tovyah, Elsie's brother, now a brilliant student at Oxford, the truth is much simpler: his sister is the product of a dysfunctional family, obsessed with empty rituals and unbridled ambition. But who is right? And how can they stop the darkness from engulfing Elsie forever?

A smart, original, and provocative debut novel about a close-knit Jewish family in London pushed to the brink when they suspect their daughter is a witch--for readers of The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin and Everything Is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer. Hannah and Eric Rosenthal are a successful, devoutly religious couple living in North London with their three children and Eric's father Yosef, a Holocaust survivor. When Yosef dies and their only daughter Elsie disappears, the family descends into a living nightmare. Four days later, she returns--pale, dripping wet, and different. As events around Elsie become increasingly bewildering, Hannah and Eric begin to suspect she is under the influence of black magic, while her atheist brother Tovyah, a brilliant university student, believes his sister is suffering a mental collapse caused by his parents' antiquated religious beliefs. Can the family be reconciled before tearing itself apart? Part The Secret History with a dash of The Royal Tenenbaums, this stunningly written novel questions what it means to be tied to an ancient ethical and metaphysical system--and if you reject that system, what is left of your identity? Told through revolving points of view, we witness a family trying to reckon with both historical and personal tragedy, to electrifying ends. A darkly comic and compellingly original meditation on family, faith, and generational trauma--Fervor is entertaining, erudite, terrifying, and unforgettable.

Why are house prices in many advanced economies rising faster than incomes? Why isn't land and location taught or seen as important in modern economics? What is the relationship between the financial system and land? In this accessible but provocative guide to the economics of land and housing, the authors reveal how many of the key challenges facing modern economies - including housing crises, financial instability and growing inequalities - are intimately tied to the land economy. Looking at the ways in which discussions of land have been routinely excluded from both housing policy and economic theory, the authors show that in order to tackle these increasingly pressing issues a major rethink by both politicians and economists is required.

Why are house prices in many advanced economies rising faster than incomes? Why isn't land and location taught or seen as important in modern economics? What is the relationship between the financial system and land? In this accessible but provocative guide to the economics of land and housing, the authors reveal how many of the key challenges facing modern economies - including housing crises, financial instability and growing inequalities - are intimately tied to the land economy. Looking at the ways in which discussions of land have been routinely excluded from both housing policy and economic theory, the authors show that in order to tackle these increasingly pressing issues a major rethink by both politicians and economists is required.