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Nightjar
- Author
- Emily Ruskovich
- Narrator
- various
- Publisher
- Random House
- Publish Date
- 6 August 2026
- Run Time
- 8 hours 12 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
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What to expect
A stunning collection of stories that explore the rural landscape of the far Northwestern US, and how unexpected intuitions forever alter the lives of ordinary people, From the critically acclaimed, prizewinning author of Idaho
Four years after moving into the isolated house in rural Oregon where her husband lived as a child, the protagonist of 'Victor’s Room' begins to doubt her husband’s account of his family’s past. In 'Round Lake', a young woman’s plans to meet a lover in Tokyo are upended when she learns a startling truth about her mother’s death. In 'Owl', a fur trapper reckons with the dreadful origins of his marriage after his wife is brutally injured by four adolescent boys.
Haunting and psychologically provocative, and set against the vivid backdrop of the rural Northwestern US, Nightjar illuminates the secret, instinctive knowledge that lies just under the surface of our awareness.
'Exquisite short stories. They disturb, delight and linger long after finishing' LOUISE KENNEDY
'To read Emily Ruskovich is to unwrap a gift' PAULA HAWKINS
© Emily Ruskovich 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
Critics Review
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These are exquisite short stories. They disturb, delight and linger long after finishing
LOUISE KENNEDY, author of Trespasses
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To read Emily Ruskovich is to unwrap a gift: her stories are surprising, rewarding, beautiful. There are strange love affairs, hearts gently breaking, cherished childhood memories that turn out to be untrue; in clear and distinctive prose, she evokes the epic scope of quiet lives
PAULA HAWKINS
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Slow, quiet and graceful, these exceptional stories from the author of Idaho are exquisite... the tales are haunted by unsettling, unreliable memories and characters who grapple with uneasy truths
Daily Mail
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Another daring, immersive achievement by Emily Ruskovich... beautifully crafted, lyrical prose with enough vibrant realism to burn character and story deep into your mind, but unhinged enough to disquiet and invite reflection
Irish Times
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Ruskovich’s writing tows the line between subtly quiet and ferociously triumphant, as each story introduces us to characters so complicated and thorny that they might as well be real… haunting, riveting, and an absolute gift
Chicago Review of Books
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These are marvelous and unsettling stories. Ruskovich’s prose is lambent, the relationships between her characters are thorny, complex, and mesmerizing, and the shapes of her stories constantly surprise. I loved Nightjar
KELLY LINK, author of The Book of Love
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In spare, lovely prose, Ruskovich writes a collection of five linked literary stories set in the Pacific Northwest wilderness
Alta
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Ruskovich blends urgent pacing with lush wooded scenery and intimate psychological details. It’s a marvel
Publishers Weekly, *starred review*
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In this exquisitely tailored collection of five stories, Ruskovich plumbs the depths of mystery, memory, and the quiet grief of intimacy... Like Idaho, this book has a compelling slipperiness, both in time and reality... A portal to a haunting, liminal Pacific Northwest
Kirkus *starred review*
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Some books whisper instead of shout. Nightjar is one of them… the kind of collection that asks you to slow down and simply exist inside its atmosphere
Bibliolifestyle
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Details
- Author
- Emily Ruskovich
- Narrator
- various
- Duration
- 8 hours 12 minutes
- Release Date
- 6 August 2026
- ISBN
- 9781529992090
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Random House
- Genre
- Short stories, Narrative theme: sense of place, Narrative theme: environmental issues / the natural world
Synopsis
A stunning collection of stories that explore the rural landscape of the far Northwestern US, and how unexpected intuitions forever alter the lives of ordinary people, From the critically acclaimed, prizewinning author of IdahoFour years after moving into the isolated house in rural Oregon where her husband lived as a child, the protagonist of 'Victor’s Room' begins to doubt her husband’s account of his family’s past. In 'Round Lake', a young woman’s plans to meet a lover in Tokyo are upended when she learns a startling truth about her mother’s death. In 'Owl', a fur trapper reckons with the dreadful origins of his marriage after his wife is brutally injured by four adolescent boys.Haunting and psychologically provocative, and set against the vivid backdrop of the rural Northwestern US, Nightjar illuminates the secret, instinctive knowledge that lies just under the surface of our awareness.'Exquisite short stories. They disturb, delight and linger long after finishing' LOUISE KENNEDY'To read Emily Ruskovich is to unwrap a gift' PAULA HAWKINS© Emily Ruskovich 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026
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