Book description
Alva and Irva are indentical twin sisters who live in the city of
Entralla. Along with Gondal, Brobdingnag and the Emerald City, Entralla
is not a place you are likely to have visited; only one guidebook to the
place exists, despite its historic landmarks and the considerable civic
pride of its inhabitants. Alva, by nature an explorer, longs to travel
the world. Irva is a recluse, for whom a step outside the house is an
ordeal. But the twins belong together; they cannot survive without each
other. Since childhood, they have built fantastical cities of plasticine
in an attempt to find a place for themselves in the world -- real or
imaginary. But it is only when Irva finally refuses to leave the house
at all that the major work of their lives begins. Alva, in an attempt to
return Irva to life, brings the city of Entralla into their shared home;
she wanders its streets, observing, taking notes, measuring, and
reporting her findings to Irva, who painstakingly constructs a miniature
Entralla.
Edward Carey was born in 1970. His acclaimed first novel,
OBSERVATORY MANSIONS, is also published by Picador. He lives
in London and France.
