Phalaina
Phalaina by Alice Brière-Haquet, published by Chronicle Books LLC on September 7, 2022, is a 320-page work available in English. Set in London in 1881, the narrative follows Manon, a girl at an orphanage who possesses unusual traits and is surrounded by a series of violent deaths. As she grapples with her mysterious origins, she becomes the target of those eager to uncover the truth about her identity and the significant monetary rewards tied to it.
Readers will encounter a blend of historical elements and speculative themes as Manon navigates her perilous situation. The story intertwines her journey with letters to Charles Darwin from Professor Humphrey, who raises questions about evolution and humanity’s place in the natural world. This edition presents a unique exploration of fantasy and adventure, inviting readers to ponder deeper connections between life forms and the mysteries of existence.
Official synopsis Publisher
AudioFile Earphones Award Winner
We discover a new species of life form every day.
But, every day,
a species also disappears.
The fly has 10 chromosomes,
the hamster 22, the rat 42, the human 46,
the chimpanzee 48, the cow 60,
and the butterfly 380.
London, 1881.
There’s something a little eerie about Manon – she’s not like the other girls at the orphanage. Maybe it’s her red eyes. Maybe it’s her silence. Maybe it’s the series of violent deaths that seem to follow her.
What we do know: someone is hot on her tail. And there’s a lot of money at stake in finding out where exactly she comes from – and what exactly she is.
Concurrent to Manon’s story are letters to Charles Darwin from Professor Humphrey, a scientist who has recently died under mysterious circumstances. Is it true that natural selection left humans at the top of the pyramid of life after all? Or in the process of evolution, was there something elemental that humans lost, something that connected us to the rest of life on earth? Who and what else is out there?
In order to stay alive, Manon must untangle the mystery of her origins, and perhaps the origins of humanity as well.
From French writer Alice Brière-Haquet and translated by PEN-award winning translator Emma Ramadan comes Phalaina – the middle grade historical sci fi thriller you won’t be able to put down.
P R A I S E
★ “Fiendishly clever…[Brière-Haquet’s] clinically cool narrative voice injects gravitas into the evolutionary discussion while placing a buffer of emotional distance between the reader and some truly gruesome off-stage mayhem.”
—BCCB (starred)
★ “A luminous eco fable wrapped in an immersive, propulsive tale.”
—Foreword (starred)
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