Madame Mephisto: A Novel - Softcover

2012 GUARDIAN FIRST BOOK AWARD READER NOMINATIONS - The book was fun...Magda makes some great observations about Britain and is pretty scathing about the Polish and their culture. (Guardian) A darkly-comic account of a Polish immigrant's experiences in London (Lucy Popescu, Huffington Post) Exceptional book. (Deon Meyer) At its best...Madame Mephisto shows how both totalitarianism and theocracy oppress women and infantilize men. Bakalar...captures how isolating London can be for newcomers. (Max Liu, The Times Literary Supplement)Impressive debut novel.(Michael Stein, Literalab) A very powerful account of the liberating and sometimes bitter experience of living abroad.(CafeBabelBerlin) Punchy debut...Mouthpiece of new Poland or amoral ballbreaker?...what's most striking about the book is its vigour and the curious charisma of Magda herself...a contemporary anti-heroine with a heart of pure titanium.(Elsbeth Lindner, Bookoxygen)A.M. Bakalar created a memorable anti-heroine, worth adapting to the big screen...fantastic first novel! (Jimena Gorraez, Literati)

What would you talk about if you were stuck in a room with a drug dealer for five days? Magda, a Polish immigrant, grows cannabis in underground containers in eastern Poland and ships it to the UK. But her plans change when she has to attend a funeral of a family member and she only has five days to convince her mysterious listener to help her expand her empire. Magda begins to tell the unexpected story of her life - the cover jobs in London, the strained relationship with her family who know nothing about who Magda really is, and her development as a cannabis dealer. Can you trust somebody who is two people, and how do you know when to believe a professional liar? ...Menacing, fast-paced, with a unique and intense voice, A.M. Bakalar's first novel reveals unexpected truths about the lies we tell and the people we are.