Great House

Nicole Krauss

Shortlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2011, Nicole Krauss’s Great House is a haunting story that explores loss and memory.

In New York a woman spends the night with a young Chilean poet before he departs, leaving her at his desk. Later, he is arrested by Pinochet’s secret police. . . In north London, a man caring for his dying wife discovers a lock of hair that unravels a terrible secret. . . In Jerusalem, an antiques dealer reassembles his father’s study plundered by Nazis. One item remains missing. . .

Spanning continents and decades, weaving an intricate web of its characters’ lives, Great House tells a soaring story of love, loss and survival against the odds.

‘The History of Love was very good indeed. Great House…is even better. A heartbreaking meditation on loss and memory and how they construct our lives’
– Guardian

‘Full of mystery and suspense, building towards one of the great climaxes in contemporary fiction. It is hard to imagine a better book of fiction being published this year…one of the finest writers of our time’
– Jewish Chronicle

‘Bewitching, mysterious and deeply moving. One of 2011’s must-reads’
– Harper’s Bazaar

 

2011 Shortlist

2011 Longlist

Previous winners

The Women's Prize Podcast


Tune into host Vick Hope and a line-up of incredible guests on our weekly podcast full of unmissable book recommendations.