From the International Booker Prize–winning translator and Women's Prize finalist comes a propulsive novel about eight translators searching for a world-renowned author who goes missing in a primeval Polish forest. Arriving at a house on the Belarus border to translate Irena Rey's magnum opus, Gray Eminence, the translators soon find themselves in disarray when Irena vanishes without a trace. Hailing from various countries yet united by their admiration for Irena, they embark on an investigation while continuing their work on her masterpiece. As they explore the ancient forest, with its intoxicating slime molds and lichens, they sift through her exotic belongings and layered texts for clues. However, their search uncovers secrets and deceptions about Irena that they are ill-equipped to handle. As paranoia sets in, the translators confront their differences, becoming entangled in rivalries and desires that jeopardize both their project and Irena's fate. This thought-provoking second outing by award-winning translator and author Jennifer Croft brilliantly examines art, celebrity, and the power of language, delivering an unforgettable adventure with a small yet global cast of characters shaken by love, destruction, and creation in one of Europe’s last great wildernesses.
