Story of My Face, The

Natalie Baron is a neglected teenager adrift in the world when she attaches herself to Barbara Hern and her family, followers of Envallism, an extreme Protestant sect. Their new relationship fulfills unmet needs for both women—and leads to a devastating series of events that forever changes the course of their lives. Years later, Natalie, now a well-respected academic, travels to Finland in an attempt to understand the origins of Envallism as well as her own past. The Story of My Face is both a gripping psychological thriller and the archaeology of an accident which shaped a life.

AUTHOR

Kathy Page

Kathy Page is the author of seven novels, including Alphabet(an Indie Next Great Read of 2014, Kirkus Best Book of 2014, and Shelf Awareness Shelf Discovery Pick), The Story of My Face (longlisted for the Orange Prize in 2002), and The Find (shorlisted for the ReLit Award in 2011), as well as many short stories, previously collected in As In Music. She recently co-edited In the Flesh (2012), a collection of personal essays about the human body, and has written for television and radio. Her 1992 novel Frankie Styne & the Silver Man has made its American debut as a Biblioasis ReSet Book. Born in the UK, Kathy has lived on Salt Spring Island, British Columbia since 2001.

Reviews

Praise for The Story of My Face

“Quietly powerful, with considerable emotional depth: an intriguing account of tortured faith and thwarted desire.” —Kirkus Reviews

“One of the most compelling, unsettling novels I’ve read in ages, which should appeal to fans of classy thrillers and literary fiction alike.” —Sarah Waters

“[Page’s] writing, mostly in the present tense, is lit with an immediate sense of period, summoning images which are by turns softly painterly, sharply filmic or as murky as those first television images of the moon landing.” —Aisling Foster, TLS

“Incredibly evocative and haunting . . . it keeps you reading, wanting to uncover both Natalie’s past and that of Tuomas Envall.” —Clare Heal, Sunday Express

“An elegantly compelling story of how a young girl’s obsession forever changes the lives of those around her.. a disciplined exploration of the complexity of human motivation and our need for redemption.” —Lynne Van Luven , Vancouver Sun

“A most impressive achievement.” —Jessica Mann, Daily Telegraph

“A compelling and unpredictable journey . . . beautifully written, rolls on at a rapid pace and delivers a satisfying punch at the end.” –Christine Pountney, Toronto Star

“A moving, absorbing story . . . Kathy Page writes beautifully.” —Helen Dunmore (author of A Spell of Winter)