Paperback reissue of the critically acclaimed literary thriller from the daughter of James Jones

"Perceptive, gritty, and compelling, this is an absorbing book that dives headfirst into issues facing recovering addicts . . . Beautifully written and richly detailed, it is highly recommended." --Library Journal

"Jones's latest and best novel is impressively researched, very nuanced, and has no false notes." --East Hampton Star

"Speak Now is one of those rare novels that fuses the craft of the narrative with the art of characterization: a page-turner cast with complex characters including the addicted, the haunted, and the doers of good deeds." --Sidney Offit

"Kaylie Jones, one of America's finest young novelists, has written a rich and splendid book." --Roger Rosenblatt

"Speak Now is written with extraordinary skill, and is compulsively readable . . . an excellent novel." --Southampton Press

"Bull's-eye writing." --Capital Times

"Suspenseful . . . Jones writes with compassionate intensity and terse conviction." --New York Press

Clara Sverdlow has been stalked by Niko Kamenski, her high-school lover, for almost twenty years. A recently sober alcoholic in her mid thirties, she has found happiness in a tenuous new marriage to Mark. Yet the past lurks over them like a great shadow, always encroaching on their happiness. Clara's father, Viktor, was a Russian political prisoner in Auschwitz. He was involved in the camp underground, helping to "organize" much-needed goods to help the prisoners. But he also worked on the train ramps and helped to guide thousands of innocent victims to the gas chambers. The guilt and horror Viktor still carries with him are part of his daughter Clara's natural composition, something she doesn't understand and yet accepts as one would a congenital illness. It shapes her every action, and is at the root of her every phobia. Mark has his own demons‹a brother dead from a drug overdose, and connections to his hometown heavies, which he can't seem to break free of.

Yet together they have found a fragile grace. With a miracle baby, they are trying to forget the past and learn to live normally in the world. But Clara's stalker Niko Kamenski secretly insinuates himself upon their life, with disastrous consequences. Clara and Mark's only hope is to address the past, and confront the present situation before it's too late.

Kaylie Jones was born in Paris. She is the author of five novels, including A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries (Akashic, 2003; Bantam, 1990; released as a Merchant Ivory film in 1998), Celeste Ascending (Harper-Collins, 2000), As Soon As It Rains (Doubleday, 1986), and Quite the Other Way (Doubleday, 1989). Jones has been a Writer in Residence in the New York City public schools through Teachers & Writers Collaborative for many years. In 1997, she became involved in the creation of the MFA Program in Writing of Long Island University's Southampton campus, where she still teaches Literature and Fiction Writing. Jones's novels have been translated into many languages including German, French, Japanese, and Italian. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.