The Wax Child By Olga Ravn (Author), Martin Aitken (Translator)

A MESMERIZING, FRIGHTENING VISION OF A TIME WHEN WITCHES AND MAGIC WERE AS REAL AS SOIL AND SEAWATER.

From Olga Ravn—hailed by the Telegraph as the strangest and best young novelist in Europe and praised by Booker Prize winner Samantha Harvey as a master and an alchemist—comes The Wax Child, an extraordinary new historical novel translated by Martin Aitken.

It was a black night in the year 1620 when Christenze Krukow melted down beeswax and molded it into the image of a small human. Carrying the wax child tucked beneath her arm for days, she shaped it with the warmth of her flesh, giving it life. Though its eyes and ears cannot open, the wax child watches, listens, and bears silent witness. It sees Christenze haunted by vicious rumors, hears what people whisper in the shadows, observes the violence in men's eyes, and feels the cruelty of seventeenth-century laws. Based on an infamous Danish witch trial, this haunting and visceral masterpiece explores how quickly suspicion takes hold—and how impossible it is to shake.

Why this book is a must-have:

• Acclaimed Author & Translator: Written by International Booker Prize-shortlisted author Olga Ravn and brilliantly translated by Martin Aitken.

• Enthusiastic Critical Praise: Hailed as an "instant classic" by Jeff VanderMeer, "brilliant" by Max Porter, and "addictive and unsettling" by Claire-Louise Bennett.

• Riveting Historical Fiction: Rooted in real 17th-century Danish witch trials, blending dark historical atmosphere with poetic psychological depth.

• Unique Narrative Perspective: Told partially through the eerie, observant lens of the wax child itself, offering a striking meditation on human cruelty, fear, and survival.

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