The Nix: A powerful drama about a mother and son by Nathan Hill

Whatever you love the most- can hurt you the most. That’s the premise of The Nix, an electrifying novel by Nathan Hill.

For those who might not know, Nix is a creature from Norwegian folktales who enthralls children, and carries them off to get them drowned. Author Nathan Hill uses Nix as a metaphor in the novel with the subtext to say, whatever you love the most, can hurt you. And indeed, whatever the characters value, ends up harming them. A powerful psychological and twisted drama, the book takes you on a historical and psychological ride.

The cover of the book, The Nix, by Nathan Hill

Samuel Anderson is a struggling writer and an apathetic college professor, whose mother Faye walked out on him when he was a child. One day, much to his shock, she is splashed all over the news as she throws rocks at a presidential candidate, which is a sly reference to the current US elections. While the media embroiders stories about Faye and calls her a militant radical, Samuel decides to uncover the secrets of his mother’s past. However, the novel is verbose and could have been edited sharply.

Title: The Nix
Author: Nathan Hill
Publisher: Picador- Pan Macmillan
Price: Rs. 650