On February 16, Swedish author Karin Tidbeck (of Amatka and Jagannath) joins us for a book talk on The Memory Theater, available beginning today from Pantheon Books. With moderator Sara Lefkowitz, she’ll discuss her new novel, a fantastical tour de force about friendship, interdimensional theater, and a magical place where no one ages — except the young.

In a world just parallel to ours exists a mystical realm known only as the Gardens. It’s a place where feasts never end, games of croquet have devastating consequences, and teenagers are punished for growing up. For a select group of Masters, it’s a decadent paradise where time stands still. But for those who serve them, it’s a slow torture where their lives can be ended in a blink. In a bid to escape before their youth betrays them, Dora and Thistle–best friends and confidants–set out on a remarkable journey through time and space. Traveling between their world and ours, they hunt for the one person who can grant them freedom. Along the way, they encounter a mysterious traveler who trades in favors and never forgets debts, a crossroads at the center of the universe, our own world on the brink of war, and a traveling troupe of actors with the ability to unlock the fabric of reality. 

Endlessly inventive, The Memory Theater takes the reader to a wondrous place where destiny has yet to be written, life is a performance, and magic can erupt at any moment.

The event will take place as a Zoom webinar; please ask questions in the chat or send them in advance to  info@amscan.org. Registration is required; please sign up at the link above. The book will be published on February 16 from Pantheon Books; read more and see how to purchase here.

“Sharp and glittering. . . . Tidbeck [creates] a world where love, cruelty, and wonder all exist side by side.”—Booklist

“Expansive and wildly imaginative . . . Tidbeck straddles fantasy, coming-of-age drama, and horror with an exciting, sometimes wrenching tale of friendship and time travel.”—Publishers Weekly

Karin Tidbeck lives in Malmö, Sweden, where she works as a translator and creative writing teacher, and writes fiction in Swedish and English. Her English-language debut, the story collection Jagannath, received the IAFA William L. Crawford Fantasy Award.

Jagannath was also short-listed for the World Fantasy Award. Tidbeck is also the author of the novel Amatka.

Sara Lefkowitz is a writer and musician whose childhood love of Science Fiction and Fantasy has followed her into adulthood and pervaded all her creative mediums. 

She lives in New Paltz, NY where she writes full-time, except when knitting or yelling at video games.