The Strangers

A Spanish-gothic version of a Patricia Highsmith novel
Jon and Katharina spend the winter on the Cantabrian coast, in Jon's large childhood home, trying to fix their relationship. One night, strange lights appear in the sky, leading to an influx of visitors camping out on the beach in hopes of extraterrestrial contact. At the same time, the couple's precarious routine is disturbed by the unexpected arrival of Markel, Jon's distant cousin, who had moved to Chile as a child and is now traveling throughout Europe with the attractive and silent Virginia. The awkwardness of the situation is heightened by the fact that the cousins ​​can't remember ever meeting, leading Jon to doubt that Markel is who he says he is. Meanwhile, Virginia's presence becomes more and more threatening and, little by little, these strangers begin to take over the house . . . A deliciously odd novella, The Strangers introduces English readers to a singular talent.

Jon Bilbao is the author of the short story collection Como una historia de terror (Ojo Critico Prize for Narrative), Under the Influence of the Comet (Tigre Juan Prize and Euskadi Prize for Literature) and Family Physics, and Stromboli; as well as the novels The Brother of the Flies, Parents, Children and Primates (Other Voices Award, Other Areas), Shakespeare and the White Whale, and Basilico (Navarra Bookstore Prize). The Strangers is his latest novel. He currently resides in Bilbao, where he works as a translator.