About the book

"Carrie Messenger’s stunning collection In the Amber Chamber is full of dark magic. The familiar is made strange, and the strange is downright chilling. The wolves here do not confine themselves to forests but wander freely, in human clothes, into cities and across oceans. Some of the lambs learn to acquire a taste for blood. There are no places or years safe from famine, from fear, from history and the succession of political regimes that shape lives and landscapes. This is an astonishing and transporting collection of stories."

Caitlin Horrocks, the author of This City is Not Your City.

"In the Amber Chamber combines the best aspects of the fairytale with the best aspects of contemporary fiction. Within this collection, there is mystery and wonder and grotesquery, but there is also psychological complexity and startling brutality. If you've ever wondered "What would the modern world look like through the lens of a fairytale?" now you have your answer. The resulting conflicts, reversals, and betrayals are fiercely fantastical and vividly real."

Phong Nguyen, the author of Memory Sickness, Pages from the Textbook of Alternative History, and The Adventures of Joe Harper.

“In the Amber Chamber is a stunning collection: the stories within are haunting, wise, darkly humorous, beautifully written, and altogether irresistible. Each one is surprising and singular in its own right, yet taken together they are revelatory, narrating a hidden history of the former Eastern bloc and its aftermath. Romania and Moldova serve as Messenger’s muse, and inspire her to make brilliant use of the eclectic styles and genres she has at her command. The total effect is profound.”

Sarah Shun-lien Bynum, the author of Ms. Hempel Chronicles and Madeleine is Sleeping.