Synopses & Reviews
By the author of Sharp Teeth, a novel of love, spies, and witches in 1950s Paris—and a cop turned into a flea
Will is a young American ad executive in Paris. Except his agency is a front for the CIA. Its 1959 and the cold war is going strong. But Will doesnt think hes a warrior—hes just a good-hearted Detroit ad guy who cant seem to figure out Parisian girls.
Zoya is a beautiful young woman wandering les boulevards, sad-eyed, coming off a bad breakup. In fact, she impaled her ex on a spike. Zoya, it turns out, has been a beautiful young woman for hundreds of years; she and her far more traditionally witchy-looking companion, Elga, have been thriving unnoticed in the bloody froth of Europes wars.
Inspector Vidot is a hardworking Paris police detective who cherishes quiet nights at home. But when he follows a lead from a grisly murder to the abode of an ugly old woman, he finds himself turned into a flea.
Oliver is a patrician, fun-loving American who has come to Paris to start a literary journal with the help of friends in D.C. who ask a few favors in return. Hes in well over his head, but its nothing that a cocktail cant fix. Right?
Add a few chance encounters, a chorus of some more angry witches, a strung-out jazzman or two, a weaponized LSD program, and a cache of rifles buried in the Bois de Bologne—and thats a novel! But while Toby Barlows Babayaga may start as just a joyful romp though the City of Light, it quickly grows into a daring, moving exploration of love, mortality, and responsibility.
Review
“This supernatural-spy-thriller-romance-history is one of the most entertaining books youll read [this season]—or decade.”—
San Francisco Chronicle“Tolkien meets Graham Greene meets Anne Rice in this wild, surrealistic caper.”—New York magazine
“A fun brew of witches, CIA spies, and fraught romance....Barlow casts a magical spell.”—People
“Barlow is adept at combining unexpected genres....When Barlow began writing fiction, he has said, he was ‘blessed by Plimptons spirit of making the impossible possible. This book continues in that tradition: Its an absurd hybrid that winds up as a bewitching caper novel.”—Los Angeles Times
“Toby Barlow is a warlock. Babayaga is his potion. Drink up.”—Robin Sloan, New York Times bestselling author of Mr. Penumbras 24-Hour Bookstore
Synopsis
The year is 1959, and strange events are brewing in Paris, a city where nothing (and no one) is as it seems.
We meet Will, who hails from Detroit and works at an international advertising agency, which is also a front for the CIA. Then theres the enchanting Zoya, who could cast a spell with her looks—and, as a witch, she often does (she also recently impaled her ex on a spike).
Inspector Vidot, on the other hand, is a hardworking police detective who cherishes a quiet evening at home. Until he follows a lead on a particularly gruesome murder—and finds himself turned into a flea. And the adventure wouldnt be complete without Oliver, a fun-loving American patrician who has come to Paris to launch a literary journal with the support of certain secretive friends.
Add a few chance encounters, a chorus of angry witches, and a weaponized LSD program, and you have Toby Barlows Babayaga: a wickedly sharp tale of the City of Light thats part love story, part thriller, and pure brilliance.
About the Author
Toby Barlow is the author of Sharp Teeth. He lives in Detroit.