NVK
One night in 2012, Zhang Guo Xing takes a group of European clients to a fashionable high-end nightclub in Shanghai. While there, he meets a strikingly beautiful young Finnish woman called Naemi Vieno Kuusela. The physical attraction between them proves irresistible, and they embark on an intoxicating affair. But Naemi is not what she appears to be…
To Zhang’s surprise, she veers between passion and wariness, conducting the relationship entirely on her own terms. He feels compelled to find out more about her, and is swiftly drawn into a web of intrigue, mystery, and horror. Is she a ghost? A demon? Do the living dead walk the streets of twenty-first century Shanghai?
Praise for NVK
“Finely calibrated…for all its mythological opulence, the tale’s central ambiguity—the question of who is preying on whom—seems urgently modern.” —The Guardian
“[A] supercharged, genre-mixing first novel.” —BBC
“[This] gothic-drenched noirish tale unnerves and entertains…there’s something stealthily intriguing about Thomson’s handling of the uncanny and the menacing, and his subtle but insistent examination of sexual politics.” —The Times
“An atmospheric and evocative tale buoyed by a sensual affair, Drake’s debut is a compelling read.” —Booklist
“A steamy affair turns supernatural…the ending subverts expectations and provides a perfect springboard for NVK’s next adventure.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Seamlessly blending sophisticated gothic fantasy with a stylish, neon-lit allure, NVK is our sexy new obsession…Drake writes this thriller in a deliberately minimalist style that’s as spare and elegant as Scandinavian furniture…mysterious and bewitching.” —Apple Books, Top 10 Best Debut Novels of the Season
