The Queen Of The Night

"At the start of Alexander Chee’s shimmering new novel, The Queen of the Night, Lilliet Berne is already an accomplished soprano. But when she gets the role that could make her immortal, a true doyenne of the Paris opera, she realizes that the libretto is based on a secret from her past. The search for the person who betrayed her transports readers to an American farm, a traveling circus, a French brothel and an opera stage, a journey made entirely possible because of Lilliet’s voice — her singing voice as well as her narrative voice, both of which are captured beautifully in this book."