£4.99 – £9.99
Masha remembers her childhood in the former USSR but found her life and heart in Israel’s Orthodox community. Anna, a young artist and student, was only an infant when her family left but still yearns to find her roots. When Anna is contacted by a stranger from their hometown and then disappears, Masha is called back to Wisconsin to find her, and this search changes the family forever.
Zhanna Slor was born in Ukraine and moved to the Midwest in the early 1990s. Her debut novel,Ā At the End of the World, Turn Left, was called “elegant and authentic” by NPR and named byĀ BooklistĀ as one of the “Top Ten Crime Debuts” of 2021. Her second novel,Ā Breakfall, a domestic thriller surrounding a mysterious death at a close-knit Jiu Jitsu gym, was released in 2023. She currently lives in Milwaukee and works as a TV critic and staff writer forĀ TV Guide.
“It’s rare to find a debut mystery crafted with such elegance and authenticity.”
āĀ NPR
“This wonderful debut is a match for patrons who enjoyed Zadie SmithāsĀ White TeethĀ (2000) or Rachel ZhongāsĀ Goodbye, VitaminĀ (2017). Itās also a must for anyone who has ever had a needy Grandma who anticipates death every morning (this character alone is worth the read).”
āĀ BooklistĀ (Starred)
“Few novels can be suspenseful, funny, and thought-provoking all at once, but Slorās has all of these qualities and more. Particularly as a debut work,Ā At The End Of The World, Turn LeftĀ is a feat.ā
āĀ Jewish Book Council
“Slorās elegantly written and thought-provoking debut keeps the suspense high in this unconventional detective story, using her charactersā musings on language and perception to enrich readersā understanding of how and why events unfold as they do. Those looking for an intricately textured tale of family relationships will be rewarded.”
āĀ Publisher’s Weekly
“Slorās debut is a powerful story of identity and longing. Mashaās journey back toward her sister is moving and subtly haunting.”
āCrimeReads
āAn intoxicating fever dream of a book,Ā At the End of the World, Turn LeftĀ subverts the mystery genre in surprising ways and gives us the mysteries of real life instead: the incommunicable nature of the past, the confines of family, the gulfs love must try to cover between us. A beautiful, joyful read.ā
āĀ Rufi Thorpe, author ofĀ The Knockout Queen, Dear Fang With LoveĀ andĀ The Girls of Corona Del Mar
“Itās the particulars ofĀ At The End Of The World, Turn LeftĀ that set it apart. Slor perfectly captures the neighborhoodās sights, sounds, and smells, all the while struggling with what it all means.”
ā Milwaukee Record
“At The End Of The World, Turn LeftĀ is a novel about the irresistible, even destructive lure of the past.”
āĀ Foreword Reviews
“Donāt missĀ At The End Of The World, Turn Leftāone of those gems of a novel that delivers poignant observations about life in a suspenseful page-turner. As two young sisters separately search for answers in the wonderfully offbeat neighborhood of Riverwest, Milwaukee, torn in different directions by a fascinating crew of locals the reader is taken on a heart-thumping ride that explores all the important relationships that make up our lives: our relationship to our siblings, parents, friends, country, heritage, and, lastly, to ourselves, that is the person we used to be and the one we hope to become.”
āĀ Jessamyn Hope, author ofĀ Safekeeping
“Slor’s brilliant exploration of the nature of freedom is a quintessential first generation American story told with great humor, grit, wisdom, and compassion.ā
āĀ Anne Raeff, author ofĀ Winter Kept Us WarmĀ andĀ Only The River
“[The] love-hate relationship with Milwaukee is the foundation of Zhanna Slorās April 2021 debut novelĀ At The End Of The World, Turn Left. Slorās novel is a combination of a mystery and self-exploration novel. It centers on the lives of two sisters who have both immigrated from the former USSR but have different approaches to what they define as home.”
āĀ Milwaukee Independent
“Zhanna Slor has written a stellar debut novel of literary suspense which is also an engrossing coming-of-age story focusing on two sisters who emigrated as children from Ukraine to Milwaukee. Slor insightfully examines their experiences as young women who must confront the contradictions they find in themselves, in America, and in their parents, who both want their daughters to live as they are told to rather than find their own way in the world. This is a debut of many felicities, much heart, and more than a few comic moments. It was a true pleasure to read.”
āĀ Christine Sneed, author ofĀ Little Known FactsĀ andĀ Paris, He Said
“A story about young men and women dealing with the challenges of life and making decisions, not always the best decisions and dealing with family and sometimes the ache of lost culture associations.”
āĀ Riverwest Currents
“At the End of the World, Turn Left is an exploration of immigrant and Jewish identity.”
āĀ Shepherd Express