“…一股强烈，独特同时不断成熟的新声音。” —詹妮弗•伊根
“…a strong, distinct and fully evolved new voice.” —Jennifer Egan
“Full of seduction and intrigue, this thrilling novel is a perfect homage to a city in transition.” —Real Simple
“With chills lurking around each corner, this second novel by author Jessica Keener is the perfect page-turner for late autumn.” —Boston Magazine
“A slow burn of an international psychological thriller. Recommended for fans of Chris Pavone.” —Library Journal
“Keener immerses the reader in Budapest’s post-communist period in all its tumultuous glory . . . the author combines strong characters and a riveting plot to craft a memorable novel.” —Publishers Weekly
“Keener’s second psychological novel, set in modern Hungary, dramatizes both national and personal outcomes of harrowing past events. Budapest becomes a powerful symbol of past horrors, lush culture, and an uncertain future. Reminiscent of Hilary Mantel’s Eight Months on Ghazzah Street . . . and similar in tone and theme to Kim Brooks’ historical novel, The Houseguest.”—Booklist
Jessica Keener’s STRANGERS IN BUDAPEST (Algonquin, November 14) is #3 on RealSimple.com’s list of "The Best Books To Read This Month!"https://www.realsimple.com/work-life/entertainment/best-new-books
STRANGERS IN BUDAPEST is also featured in the Chicago Review of Books "The Best Book of November."https://chireviewofbooks.com/2017/11/03/best-new-books-november-2017/
Entertainment Weekly
“Jessica Keener writes about post-communist Hungary with the heart and specificity of someone who’s lived it . . . her writing sparkles when she alternates between detailing her characters’ motivations and describing their new home in all of its volatile, foreign, scaldingly hot charm. She demonstrates a masterly touch in the way she drops dashes of bleak Hungarian history into marital squabbles, family meals, and morning jogs . . . fusing emotion to setting and past to present with cutting brevity. As the novel progresses, its focus tightens, with stories of the dead and oblique warnings of the soon-to-be-dead jointly creating a haunting atmosphere. This is not a thriller so much as a steady march toward tragedy. Well-executed . . . twists keep the pages turning fast . . . Strangers in Budapest doesn’t exoticize or patronize its location; rather, in a rare achievement for an American novel of this international emphasis, it revels in the complexity of its appeal. The more we learn about the city — the more we travel its roads, wander its stuffy apartment buildings, admire its parks and rivers — the more mournfully satisfying the book becomes. We come to understand why these characters are drawn to Budapest. We see why they’re drawn to the dead. B+”
a December 2017 Indie Pick!
“Strangers in Budapest is a fabulously complex and mysterious tale that is full of atmosphere and suspense…. This novel’s gut wrenching discussion of how our past actions often affect our present is both poignant and thought provoking. Within its pages, Keener masterfully examines sorrow and remorse, dishonesty and loathing, and the ultimate search for unattainable redemption, truth, and love.”—NY Journal of Books
Jewish Book Council:
Past events—from the liberation of the concentration camps after World War II, to the Hungarian Revolution of 1956, to more personal tragedies—haunt all of the characters in this novel in different ways, and Keener does an excellent job of tying these threads together into an emotional, unpredictable, and often riveting story.