Hey, it's NPR's Book of the Day. I'm Andrew Limbaugh. Edward Carey is on the pod today. He is a novelist and illustrator whose vibe is somewhere on the spectrum between creepy and quirky. His novel, Edith Holler, is about a 12-year-old girl in 1901 trapped in her father's theater. She's got some news to tell her small town, but she's

forbidden to speak, so she puts on a play. Carrie talked to NPR Scott Simon about growing up

in an ancient and creaky tutor house and being inspired by both how old and alive it felt

at the same time. It's a feeling you might be familiar with if you've ever walked backstage of an old

theater or in the secret passages of an old church.

You know, it's somewhere along the lines between creepy and quirky.

That interview is just after the break.

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It's 1901, Queen Victoria, newly dead, Norwich, and the rest of England in mourning.

But 12-year-old Edith Holler is still alive, despite frail health, and a curse.

The curse was inflicted when she was an infant. An old actress

declares that Edith never leave her father's theater. At least she and the theater meet

their ends. As Edith grows, her imagination frees her and traps her. She regularly performs in a

window for curious passers-by. She also becomes the most

astute student of horrifying history in her hometown, and she will seek to tell that story in the way

she knows best. Edith Holler is the creation of Edward Carey, who calls himself a writer who draws. His own imaginative

sketches punctuate the novel. He joins us now from Austin. Thanks so much for being with us.

Thank you so much for having me. Is that an authentic Austin, Texas accent?

This is a very clearly authentic Texas accent, and it's the best Texas accent I can do.

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