Last Day of a Prior Life

Last Day of a Prior Life is described as 'a ghost story without ghosts that, beyond the beauty of its form, explores solitude, the twists and turns of our lives, and the unfathomable complexities of affection.' — Mariana Enriquez

While preparing an empty house for sale, a woman encounters an unblinking seven-year-old boy, trapped there from another era, like an insect preserved in amber. Unable to articulate what he needs, the child draws her into an unsettling bond that neither can escape ... until they understand what has caused it.

With incredible precision, this deeply disquieting novel weaves together doppelgängers and time loops in the tradition of a classic ghost story. Yet its contemporary sensibility — where lyricism meets cruelty — evokes the dark horror of Shirley Jackson.

From one of the most renowned Spanish-language authors working today, Last Day of a Prior Life is a masterful dissection of human longing and the ties that bind us, even across time itself.

'Barba has perfectly understood the aggressiveness that sometimes defines our romantic encounters, and the clarity of his prose is the perfect vehicle.' — Times Literary Supplement

'Every now and then an author not only documents reality, but creates an entirely new reality, one that illuminates our darkest feelings. Kafka did it. Bruno Schulz did it. And now also the Spanish writer Andrés Barba.' — Edmund White

'A ghostly novel without ghosts that beyond its formal beauty investigates loneliness, the loops in which our lives revolve and the unfathomable difficulties of affection.' — Mariana Enriquez