Venetian Vespers by John Banville

FROM THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF SNOW

‘A marvellous and rewarding novelist . . . He is a magician, really.’ THE SCOTSMAN
‘Banville has a grim gift of seeing people’s souls.’ DON DeLILLO
‘The most eminent innovator in Irish fiction of the last 50 years.’ IRISH TIMES
‘One of my favourite writers alive.’ REBECCA F. KUANG
‘Banville writes prose of such luscious elegance.’ NEW YORK TIMES

Everything was a puzzle, everything a trap set to mystify and hinder me. . .

1899. As the new century approaches, English hack-writer Evelyn Dolman marries Laura Rensselaer, the daughter of a wealthy American plutocrat. But in the midst of a mysterious rift between Laura and her father, Evelyn’s plans of a substantial inheritance are thrown into doubt.

As the unhappy newlyweds travel to Venice at Palazzo Dioscuri – the ancestral home of the charming but treacherous Count Barbarigo – a series of seemingly otherworldly occurrences exacerbate Evelyn’s already frayed nerves: is it just the sea mist blanketing the floating city or is he losing his mind?

An eerie, Venice-set novel from the bestselling Booker Prize-winning author.

About the Author: JOHN BANVILLE was born in Wexford, Ireland, in 1945. He is the author of many novels, including The Book of Evidence; The Sea, winner of the 2005 Man Booker Prize, and, most recently; the bestselling Stafford & Quirke series, which has twice been shortlisted for the CWA Historical Dagger.

25 Sep 2025
 

Venetian Vespers: This Autumn’s Eeriest Novel by John Banville ISBN 9780571386642