"A poignant, captivating, beautifully woven family saga. As honest as Elena Ferrante, with the folkloric intensity of Téa Obreht." -- Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of THE EXILES, A PIECE OF THE WORLD, and ORPHAN TRAIN "Beautiful and heartbreaking, and readers will fall in love with Maria. I absolutely loved it." -- Monica Ali, New York Times bestselling author of UNTOLD STORY and LOVE MARRIAGE "In Helfer's spare, subtle English-language debut, an Austrian family is transformed during WWI . Helfer brings a great deal of nuance to her exploration of female desire and vulnerability, male power, and community division. This should win the author wider recognition in the U.S.

" -- Publishers Weekly "What distinguishes Last House Before the Mountain from a hundred other family stories is its charm . it confides in the reader intimately. And when we learn that the story is based on Helfer's own family, the final moving paragraph strikes the reader like a knife to the heart." -- The Observer "A master class in literary compression. In just a short span of pages, Helfer brings a whole world of wonder, loss and deep, deep longing to indelible life. How lucky we are that her work is finally available in English." -- Laird Hunt, author of National Book Award Finalist ZORRIE "Generations of family secrets and unrequited love are braided with restraint and compassion in this moving story of a woman's longing." -- Tsering Yangzom Lama, author of Scotiabank Giller Prize Finalist WE MEASURE THE EARTH WITH OUR BODIES.