Elsa

Fiction. ELSA is the final psychological portrait in Keller's trilogy (after Maggie in JACKPOT, and Sally in RETELLING). In this novel, Elsa — and the reader along with her — is caught in a labyrinth of deceit and obsession. Her fears become ours as she questions and doubts them with escalating intensity.

"Fusing Patricia Highsmith's gift for sociopathic portraits with Jean Rhys's woman-in-a-jam claustrophobia, the first two novels of Tsipi Keller's trilogy- in-progress offer front-row views of obsessive characters who somehow manage to be scary and wildly engaging at the same time." —Michael Miller in TimeOut, on JACKPOT and RETELLING

"The mystery of who butchered ethereally beautiful and pregnant Elsbeth is at the heart of Keller's elegant and spooky second novel... Keller flirts with the answer as her novel slips back and forth through time to depict tantalizing glimpses of possible truths filtered through Sally's uncertain memories... This opaque yet beguiling novel showcases the work of a talented and original writer." —Publishers Weekly, on RETELLING

"A Bahamian vacation turns into a nightmarish dreamworld in Tsipi Keller's smart, sly JACKPOT... Keller expertly charts Maggie's transformation in this accomplished and oddly gripping novel." —Publishers Weekly, on JACKPOT

"Elsa is the third in Tsipi Keller's trilogy of psychological novels. The first two were Jackpot and Retelling, which trace the fortunes of women. Elsa calls to mind some of Richard Burgin's noir fiction. Both writers explore the world of nefarious, but initially engaging, operators who insinuate themselves into the lives of lonely strangers aiming to control or ruin them.... Much more than a tale about a smart woman who makes foolish choices, Elsa is a fast-paced, tightly crafted, suspenseful, psychological crime novel that sidles up to the reader, then pounces." Lynn Levin, Cleaver Magazine (May 2014)

Tsipi Keller was born in Prague, raised in Israel, and has been living in the U.S. since 1974. The author of nine books, she is the recipient of several literary awards, including National Endowment for the Arts Translation Fellowships, New York Foundation for the Arts grants, and an Armand G. Erpf award from Columbia University. Her most recent translation collections are: Poets on the Edge: An Anthology of Contemporary Hebrew Poetry (SUNY Press); and The Hymns of Job and Other Poems, a Lannan Translation Selection (BOA Editions). Her trilogy of novels, ELSA (2014), RETELLING (2006) and JACKPOT (2004), is published by Spuyten Duyvil.