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Xstabeth

A Novel
By David Keenan
0.0 (0 reviews)
3.36 goodreads logo

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Check link for latest rating. ( 472 ratings, 84 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Xstabeth by David Keenan is a mystical and enchanting exploration of music, love, and the supernatural. The narrative follows a young woman, her father, and a mysterious figure named Xstabeth, who enters their lives, unravelling their past and inspiring artistic creation. The book weaves a surreal tale of transformation, capturing the boundless nature of human creativity and desire.
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Format: Paperback / softback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book may appeal to you if you're captivated by tales that blur the line between reality and mysticism, exploring the emotional depths of its characters. You might enjoy it if you appreciate evocative storytelling that challenges conventional narrative structures, offering a profound and transformative reading experience.

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A short explosive novel about Russia, Scotland, sex and singer-songwriters.

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

INCLUDES 'PREQUEL' THE TOWER THE FIELDS THE TRANSMITTERS

'This book spoke, it said "read me" from the very first sentence as if it were alive, it gave me visceral joy' - Kim Gordon

'Reading Xstabeth feels like being cut open to the accompanying sound of ecstatic music' - Edna O'Brien

‘Prepare for more of that inimitable Keenan narrative voodoo brilliance’ - Wendy Erskine

In St Petersburg, Russia, Aneliya is torn between the love of her father and her father's best friend. Her father dreams of becoming a great musician but suffers with a naivete that means he will never be taken seriously. Her father's best friend has a penchant for vodka, strip clubs and moral philosophy.

When an angelic presence named Xstabeth enters their lives - a presence who simultaneously fulfils and disappears those she touches - Aneliya and her father's world is transformed.

Moving from Russia to St Andrews, Scotland, Xstabeth tackles the metaphysics of golf, the mindset of classic Russian novels and the power of art and music to re-wire reality. Charged with a consuming intensity and a torrential rhythm that pulses with music, it is an offering of transcendence and a love letter to the books of Chandler, Nabokov and Dostoevsky, by a writer who is rewriting the rulebook of contemporary fiction.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

David Keenan's Xstabeth is lauded for its mystical and dream-like prose, enveloping readers in a narrative mixing metaphysics, music, and spirituality. Critics describe the novel as a unique, haunting exploration that meshes reality with enigmatic elements, offering a visceral, enigmatic reading experience. The book is praised for its inventive language, rich symbolism, and capacity to evoke a deep, almost transcendent emotional response. Readers appreciate its timeless allure and distinctive voice, with some considering it a potential cult classic.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781474617062

Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 23 November 2021

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: White Rabbit

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 22.0mm

Width: 128.0mm

Height: 196.0mm

Weight: 220g

Pages: 256

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About the Author

David Keenan is the author of six critically-acclaimed novels; the cult classic This is Memorial Device, which won the London Magazine Prize; For the Good Times, which won the Gordon Burn Prize and was shortlisted for the Encore Award; The Towers The Fields The Transmitters, Xstabeth, which was shortlisted for the Dublin Literary Award, Monument Maker, which was a Rough Trade Book of the Year and Industry of Magic & Light. He is also the author of England's Hidden Reverse, a history of the UK's post-punk and Industrial music scenes. He has been writing about music since he was seventeen years old, most consistently for The Wire, and between the years 2004-2014 he co-ran the cult Glasgow record shop Volcanic Tongue. His selected music writing was published in 2025 as the collection Volcanic Tongue.

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