The Nine-Chambered Heart - Hardcover

‘It’s the artful pleating of this subtle, psychologically astute novel that sets it apart, each shard-like vignette deepening our concern for its central character as we see into her lovers’ hearts and minds’ Daily Mail

‘Superb. She had me at page one’ Chris Cleave

‘Sublime ... Pariat writes with great elegance, her sentences rich with introspection. There’s a feeling of poetry to the language ... captivating’ Irish Times

‘A tender puzzle of a book. Its bewitching premise forces us to slowly put the pieces together, our understanding of the protagonist layering with each chapter – and yet maintains the tantalising distance that the ones who've loved her experience too. We know her, but only as much as they know her. It explores with sharp beauty the mystery at the centre of loving anyone, the various things we present and project through the relationships of our lives,’ Sophie Mackintosh, author of The Water Cure

‘Whatever Janice Pariat is doing in these vignettes – unravelling layers, offering shards, making and unmaking a heart – she forces you to alter your vision. By turning the intimate eye of love inside out, she’s saying, here is the real wonder: a whole is made of many broken parts. It is a startling way to look at ourselves, to reach for the stories of our own hearts’ Tishani Doshi

‘Superb. She had me at page one’
Chris Cleave, author of Everyone Brave is Forgiven

‘It’s the artful pleating of this subtle, psychologically astute novel that sets it apart’ DAILY MAIL

The kaleidoscopic story of one woman as seen through the eyes of those she has loved or been loved by.

In gemlike chapters, nine characters illuminate an unknowable woman. From the school art teacher who sees a spark of talent in her, to the man whose fleeting passion with her could change his life, to the female student whose friendship turns into love. This kaleidoscopic novella builds a life with colour, with light and dark, and in turn asks the reader: How does the world see you?

The Nine-Chambered Heart is a deeply affecting, luminous and fine-boned novel that explores the nature of intimacy and how each connection you make forms who you are.