by Monika Helfer (Author), Gillian Davidson (Translator)

#1 INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER

For readers of Elena Ferrante, T饌 Obrecht, and Claire Keegan, the spellbinding, internationally bestselling, multigenerational family saga set in a fractured rural village in WWI Austria.

Maria and Josef live with their children in a valley in westernmost Austria. When the First World War breaks out and Josef is drafted into the army, Maria is left to provide for her family alone. Every day is a struggle against starvation, the harsh alpine climate and the hostile nearby villagers who see Maria as little more than a beautiful temptress out for the men left behind. But when a red-haired stranger arrives in the village, Maria feels happiness seep back into her life and she faces a choice whose consequences will affect the lives of her family for generations to come.

Based on the internationally bestselling and award-winning Austrian novelist Monika Helfer's own family history, Last House Before the Mountain is a propulsive, haunting, multi-layered saga about love, family, and the hidden wages of war.

Author Biography

Monika Helfer is the bestselling author of novels, short stories, and children's books, including, most recently, Lenherz, Vati (Library for the War-Wounded), and Die Bagage (Last House Before the Mountain). This is her first novel to be translated into English. She lives in Hohenems, Austria.

Gillian Davidson is a literary translator based in London.