Charles Lambert’s ‘genre-defying dream of a novel’ THE CHILDREN’S HOME is published in paperback in North America today. Pre-empted by Nan Graham and John Glynn of Scribner, Lambert’s first US publication is one of the American Bookseller's Association Indie Next Preview January 2017 Paperbacks and has received praise from writers and reviewers alike.
THE CHILDREN’S HOME was featured in a number of “Best of 2016” lists. Isabel Costello of Literary Sofa chose it as part of ‘My Year in Books’, saying that the book ‘Left me in awe of the beauty and potential of the English language... exudes gothic atmosphere and contains one of the most visually arresting and profoundly sinister scenes I’ve ever encountered.’
It was also chosen as one of the Litreactor Staff picks of 2016: ‘An ideal read for the winter season, especially if you have a fireplace and a wingback chair (but no less enjoyable if your furnishings are a bit more modern).’
Eric Karl Anderson AKA Lonesome Reader also chose it as one of his Ten Great Books of Experimental Fiction 2016, calling it ‘as seductive as it was terrifying.’
THE CHILDREN’S HOME is a beguiling and disarming novel about a mysterious group of children who appear to a disfigured recluse and his country doctor. It was published in the UK by Aardvark Bureau on 2 March and in France by Éditions Anne Carrière. Aardvark Bureau will also publish two of Charles Lambert’s novellas in a single volume, TWO DARK TALES, in time for Halloween 2017.
Born in England, Charles Lambert lives in Fondi, near Rome, working as a university teacher and freelance editor. He is the author of several novels including LITTLE MONSTERS and ANY HUMAN FACE (Picador) and the autobiographical work WITH A ZERO AT ITS HEART (The Friday Project). He has won an O. Henry Award and other prizes for his short fiction.
More praise for THE CHILDREN’S HOME:
‘A beautiful and uncanny novel by a writer who never ceases to surprise.’ – Jenny Offill, author of DEPT OF SPECULATION
‘Sometimes heart-stopping, sometimes heart-warming, it is a provocative tale, ripe with intrigue and atmosphere. I loved every weird moment of it.’ – Nuala O’Connor, author of MISS EMILY
‘Dark and nuanced, eerie and quiet, THE CHILDREN’S HOME creeps behind the curtains of your imagination. This book stays with you.’ – Amelia Gray, author of THREATS AND GUTSHOT
‘THE CHILDREN’S HOME is a not-nice sort of fairy tale, where the magic doesn't sparkle prettily but boils and oozes, where the Prince has a face of tatters, where the children take grown-up revenge on their monsters. It's also, somehow, a searching, empathetic narrative about forgiveness.’ – Owen King, author of DOUBLE FEATURE: A Novel
‘A thoroughly original entry into the tradition of ghost stories, eschewing convention …compulsively readable…A one-of-a-kind literary horror story.’ – Kirkus Reviews, Starred Review
‘Lambert carefully constructs the restricted sphere that Fletcher inhabits, leaving the chaotic larger world and the source of his family fortune largely a mystery. After slowly unfolding Fletcher’s story, Lambert then accelerates the pace to a breathtaking climax. THE CHILDREN’S HOME is a magical, mesmerizing tale about the courage it takes to confront the unknown.’ –Booklist, Starred Review.