The Wallcreeper

Fiction. "Who is Nell Zink? She claims to be an expatriate living in northeast Germany. Maybe she is; maybe she isn't. I don't know. I do know that this first novel arrives with a voice that is fully formed: mature, hilarious, terrifyingly intelligent, and wicked. The novel is about a bird-loving American couple that moves to Europe and becomes, basically, eco-terrorists. This is strange, and interesting, but in between is some writing about marriage, love, fidelity, Europe, and saving the earth that is as funny and as grown-up as anything I've read in years. And there are some jokes in here that a young Don DeLillo would kill to have written. I hope he doesn't kill Nell Zink."—Keith Gessen

"Nell Zink is a writer of extraordinary talent and range. Her work insistently raises the possibility that the world is larger and stranger than the world you think you know. You might not want to believe this, but her sentences and stories are so strong and convincing that you'll have no choice."—Jonathan Franzen

"Zink's debut novel is a weird, funny, sad, and sharp story of growing up. This is the introduction of an exciting new voice." Publishers Weekly, Pick of the Week and Starred Review.

"Zink's cerebral, fast-paced first novel chronicles a young woman's life in Europe after marrying a man she's known for three weeks. A brief yet masterful novel of epic breadth." Kirkus, Starred Review.

"Nell Zink's heady and rambunctious debut novel . . . moves at breakneck speed . . . Wake up, this book says: in its plot lines, in its humor, in its philosophical underpinnings and political agenda. I'll pay it the highest compliment it knows -- this book is a wild thing." NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

"Zink's debut novel doesn't need a celebrity blurb...Its premise is so good it endorses itself..." WIRED

"Peppered with witty one-liners, Zink's portrayal of a young American couple that moves to Europe is strange, hilarious, and utterly captivating." HARPERS BAZAAR

"A brief yet masterful novel of epic breadth." KIRKUS REVIEW (STARRED REVIEW)

"Zink's debut novel is a weird, funny, sad, and sharp story of growing up. . . . the introduction of an exciting new voice." PUBLISHERS WEEKLY (STARRED REVIEW)

"Nell Zink might be the best living writer you haven't heard of yet, but prepare to hear her name a lot." PAPERMAG

"A strange, funny, super-engaging book." BUSTLE

"A manic, heartfelt, intellectual novel about an American couple living in Europe, The Wallcreeper is one of the best books of the year." FICTION ADVOCATE

"It's a major debut, one that proves its author is gifted, strangely and beguilingly, with no shortage of honesty and eloquence." FLAVORWIRE

“Nell Zink’s heady and rambunctious debut novel . . . moves at breakneck speed . . . Wake up, this book says: in its plot lines, in its humor, in its philosophical underpinnings and political agenda. I’ll pay it the highest compliment it knows — this book is a wild thing.” New York Times Sunday Book Review

The incredible breakout novel by one of the sharpest, funniest, most inventive writers of our time.

"Who is Nell Zink? She claims to be an expatriate living in northeast Germany. Maybe she is; maybe she isn't. I don't know. I do know that this first novel arrives with a voice that is fully formed: mature, hilarious, terrifyingly intelligent, and wicked. The novel is about a bird-loving American couple that moves to Europe and becomes, basically, eco-terrorists. This is strange, and interesting, but in between is some writing about marriage, love, fidelity, Europe, and saving the earth that is as funny and as grown-up as anything I've read in years. And there are some jokes in here that a young Don DeLillo would kill to have written. I hope he doesn't kill Nell Zink." (Keith Gessen)

Nell Zink was born in 1964 in southern California and grew up in rural Virginia. She attended Stuart Hall School and the College of William and Mary, where she majored in philosophy. Rather late in life she got a doctorate in Media Studies from the University of Tübingen, Germany. This is her first book.