Daniil and Vanya

We Need to Talk About Kevin meets Goodnight Mommy in this outrageous modern family thriller.

Emma and Gregory have a perfect life—a gorgeous home, a successful design firm—except for their inability to start a family. Following a traumatic failed pregnancy, they decide to travel to Russia to adopt a pair of twin boys. From the moment they board the plane in St. Petersburg, the twins begin to demonstrate perverse behaviour that grows increasingly ominous, driving a wedge between Emma and Gregory, and alienating their friends and family. The two brothers show worrying signs of lack of empathy, and seem to leave behind a trail of disturbing incidents, and rumours persist as the boys grow into teenagers—even as Emma continues to cling to her dream of the perfect family. A dark, violent, and tense novel, Daniil and Vanya shows the bond between parent and childgone horribly awry.

Featured in the CBC's fall 2020 preview

"Sinister and awe-inspiringly good."—Chatelaine

"Readers will find themselves unable to look away."—Quill & Quire