The Museum Guard (Paperback)
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Description
Orphaned by a zeppelin crash at age nine, DeFoe Russet was raised in a Halifax, Nova Scotia, hotel by his magnetic uncle Edward. Now thirty, DeFoe works with Edward as a guard in Halifax's three-room Glace Museum. He and his uncle disturb the silence of the museum with heated conversations that prove them to be "opposites at life." Away from the museum, DeFoe courts the affection of Imogen Linny, the young caretaker of the small Jewish cemetery. Everything changes when Imogen, inspired by the arrival of a painting, Jewess on a Street in Amsterdam, abandons Halifax for the ennobled life she imagines for the painting's subject—even amid the growing perilousness of being a Jew in Amsterdam. Set against the impending events of World War II, The Museum Guard, the second book of his Canadian trilogy, explores the mysteries of identity and self-determination, and the desire to step out of the ordinary into an alluring and dangerous sphere of action.
About the Author
Howard Norman is a National Book Award finalist for both The Northern Lights and The Bird Artist. His other works include The Chauffeur, a collection of stories, and The Haunting of L., his most recent novel. He received a Lannan Award in fiction. He resides in Vermont and Washington D.C.
Praise for The Museum Guard…
"A spellbinding tale about love and identity. By a longshot, Norman's best book, thrilling and utterly memorable."—Michael Upchurch, The Chicago Tribune
"Deftly mysterious . . . [The Museum Guard] fairly glimmers with the originality of his complexly tragic vision."—Richard Berstein, The New York Times
"The Museum Guard is a truly literary story, rich in language and character, incredibly dynamic and cinematic. The remarkable end will haunt you long after you close this brilliant book."—Georgia Jones-Davis, The Philadelphia Inquirer
"The Museum Guard displays magical strengths."—Richard Eder, The Los Angeles Times
"[Norman's work] proves exquisite like pieces of folk art whose simplicity postpones a sly impact."—Thomas Mallon
