The Quiet Girl: A Novel

From Publishers Weekly Høeg built his bestselling mystery, Smilla's Sense of Snow, around the science of ice. In this labyrinthine, intellectual thriller, Høeg focuses on the nature of sound, and in particular the music of Bach. In a near future where an earthquake and resulting flood have submerged a portion of the city of Copenhagen, Kasper Krone, a world-famous clown and passionate Bach fan, is about to be deported for not paying his taxes. But an official in a secret government agency known as Department H offers to make the charges disappear if Krone will help them locate a young girl, KlaraMaria, who was once his student and shares his peculiar psychic abilities. The blend of science, erudition and slow revelations could only have been written by Høeg, and will appeal to his many fans and other readers with a taste for the literary offbeat. (Nov.) Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Bookmarks Magazine When first published in Denmark, The Quiet Girlâ?"a thriller and love story with elements of magical realismâ?"provoked debate between conservative and liberal critics; the former accused Peter Høeg of literary pretension, while the latter praised his experimental techniques. No such dispute divided American critics, who embraced this remarkable novelâ?"from the quirky characters, gripping action, compelling settings, and eloquent writing to the authorâ??s impressive ruminations on philosophy, pop culture, earthquakes, music, and feminist theology. British critics, citing dense, labyrinthine passages and an overly ornate style, greeted the novel only slightly less enthusiastically. Compared to Høegâ??s masterpiece Smillaâ??s Sense of Snow, The Quiet Girl is a small jewel of avant-garde literature.

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