These three internationally acclaimed novels have confirmed Agota Kristof's reputation as one of the most provocative exponents of new-wave European fiction. With all the stark simplicity of a fractured fairy tale, the trilogy tells the story of twin brothers, Claus and Lucas, locked in an agonizing bond that becomes a gripping allegory of the forces that have divided "brothers" in much of Europe since World War II.
Kristof's postmodern saga begins with The Notebook, in which the brothers are children, lost in a country torn apart by conflict, who must learn every trick of evil and cruelty merely to survive. In The Proof, Lucas is challenging to prove his own identity and the existence of his missing brother, a defector to the "other side." The Third Lie, which closes the trilogy, is a biting parable of Eastern and Western Europe today and a deep exploration into the nature of identity, storytelling, and the truths and untruths that lie at the heart of them all. "Stark and haunting." - The San Francisco Chronicle; "A vision of considerable depth and complexity, a powerful portrait of the nobility and perversity of the human heart." - The Christian Science Monitor.
'The reader swings by his heels until the book rushes to his head. It's that good.' - Blitz
'A writing of rare sobriety and a spareness, which, avoiding all superfluous sentimentality, goes right to the heart. She creates pure emotion' - Marie Claire
'Elements of the fairy tale at its most sinister... because of this authorial restraint, Kristof's bizarre parable is far more effective than many anti-war novels' - Irish Times
'Chillingly unsentimental... Agota Kristof [has] contrived to say everything about the Second World War and its aftermath in Central Europe' - Sunday Times
