The Down Days

by Ilze Hugo Narrated by Bianca Amato, Gideon Emery

Overview

In the vein of The Book of M comes a “dynamic, fast-paced debut” (Publishers Weekly) and character-driven literary apocalyptic novel that explores life, love, and loss in a post-truth society.

In the aftermath of a deadly outbreak-reminiscent of the 1962 event of mass hysteria that was the Tangayika Laughter Epidemic-a city at the tip of Africa is losing its mind, with residents experiencing hallucinations and paranoia. Is it simply another episode of mass hysteria, or something more sinister? In a quarantined city in which the inexplicable has already occurred, rumors, superstitions, and conspiracy theories abound.

During these strange days, Faith works as a fulltime corpse collector and a freelance “truthologist,” putting together desperate pieces of information to solve problems. But after Faith agrees to help an orphaned girl find her abducted baby brother, she beings to wonder whether the boy is even real. Meanwhile, a young man named Sans who trades in illicit goods is so distracted by a glimpse of his dream woman that he lets a bag of money he owes his gang partners go missing-leaving him desperately searching for both and son questioning his own sanity.

Over the course of a single week, the paths of Faith, Sans, and a cast of other hustlers-including a data dealer, a drug addict, a sin eater, and a hyena man-will cross and intertwine as they move about the city looking for lost souls, uncertain absolution, and answers that may not exist. The Down Days is a “fascinating story” (HelloGiggles) that demonstrates “one of the most accurate depictions of the strange realities of life during a pandemic” (The A.V. Club) that you won't want to put down.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly

02/03/2020

Science fiction and spirituality intertwine in Hugo’s fun, apocalyptic mystery debut set in a near-future Cape of Good Hope, South Africa, that has been quarantined to prevent the spread of an epidemic of fatal, uncontrollable laughter. When Tomorrow Pretorious’s little brother disappears, she seeks the services of freelance investigator Faith September. As the pair search, they encounter a motley collection of hustlers and charlatans, including sin eater Frank Mostert and black market hair dealer Sans, and begin to unravel the mystery of the sickness that has decimated the population and precipitated a government ban on public mirth. Hugo adeptly juggles multiple points of view, but the disparate plot elements vying for attention occasionally become muddled; secret societies, conspiracy theories, prophecies, and spirits abound, creating a feeling of unstable syncretism. The arresting prose, an effortless blend of Afrikaans slang and invented jargon, peppered with evocative turns of phrase (“the mountain was undercover, going full vigilante in a smoking gray cape”), elevates this from run-of-the-mill science fiction thriller. Fans of gritty environmental sci-fi will enjoy this dynamic, fast-paced debut. Agent: Stacia Decker, Dunow, Carlson & Lerner. (May)

From the Publisher

With a fresh new voice that jumps off the page and an incisive, probing plunge into the double-edged coin of survival and grief, The Down Days brings the tenacious synchronicity of Tom Robbins to science fiction with the pacing and mystery of a thriller.”—Delilah S. Dawson, New York Times Bestselling Author

Product Details

BN ID:	2940177077321
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster
Publication date:	05/05/2020
Edition description:	Unabridged

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