Description
“Shh, my Nuala. I am with you. Today I shall teach you the newness of you.”
As the Engine breathes life into Nuala, her gaze falls on Teacher-Servant, the chosen one. He alone will be able to hear her thoughts and interpret her emotions. But soon Teacher-Servant starts to worry that Nuala will be able to give away her thoughts freely. Set in an atypical dystopian world, Nuala is startlingly original and inventive, echoing the work of Margaret Atwood, José Saramago, and Kazuo Ishiguro. Beach’s dark, fearless imagination has created a time and space that are at once remote and strange, but absorbing and deeply credible. Nuala leaves the reader with much to consider about the nature of love, possessiveness, jealousy, envy, and autonomy.
Awards
- Short-listed, Georges Bugnet Award for Fiction | Writers' Guild of Alberta 2018
Reviews
# 7 on Edmonton Fiction Bestsellers list, April 23, 2017
While it is a highly original tale, many of its themes -- alienation, the search for understanding and companionship, and struggle for independence -- are universal…"
- Lana Michelin
“Nuala: A Fable, by Alberta writer and editor Kimmy Beach, describes a dystopian world where Nuala, a giant puppet, and her Teacher-Servant explore their city and their relationship while Nuala gradually becomes aware of her own complex inner terrain…. Nuala is a departure for Beach, who is well known as a poet… Beach admits to some trepidation about how the book may be received. ‘But it’s too late now. She’s out there, stomping around and demanding attention. Come what may.’”
- Margaret Anne Fehr
# 7 on Edmonton Fiction Bestsellers list, September 24, 2017
"From the start, the book has the power to take a reader on a journey that is wonderfully image-laden.... [You] get the feeling that every single word has been meticulously chosen... It's always polished but crackles with authenticity."
- Mark Weber
# 1 on Edmonton Fiction Bestsellers list, March 19, 2017
"... Beach's spare, poetic prose swept me away from the present world of mad dictators into a magical timeless realm like the sweet books of my childhood. I was transported and found myself rationing each page near the end, because I did not want to leave Beach's fictional world. Highly recommended, even if you don't like puppets, poetry or fables. It's all about the craft and the way Beach spins a sharp sensuous story..."
- Bruce Hunter
# 2 on Saskatoon Fiction Bestsellers list, April 8, 2017