The Hidden: A Novel [Paperback]

From PEN/Macmillan award-winning novelist and poet Tobias Hill comesThe Hidden, a gripping story of a naive newcomer whose arrival at a high-stakes archaeological dig of ancient Spartan ruins unearths long-buried secrets. Interweaving scenes of ancient Sparta with present-day events in a fascinating study of group dynamics, Hill cuts to the heart of the games people play to stay in control. Written with astonishing grace and power,The Hiddenis a novel about secrets and the true cost of fulfilling one’s desires.

In southern Greece in 2004, a close-knit group of archaeologists searches for the buried traces of a formidable ancient power. A student running from a failed marriage and family, Ben Mercer is a latecomer to their ranks, drawn to the charisma of the group's members—to the double-edged friendship of Jason, the unsettling beauty of Natsuko and Eleschen, and the menace of Max and Eberhard. But Ben is far too eager to join the excavation project, and there is more to the group's dangerous games and dynamic than he understands. And there are things that should always remain hidden.

A novel of astonishing grace and power from award-winning author Tobias Hill,The Hiddenbrilliantly explores the secrets we keep, the ties that bind us, and the true cost of fulfilling our desires.

[A] high-stakes, propulsive narrative. . . . The novels ideas are explored with stylish rigor and a rare boldness made all the more powerful by its surprising lyricism.The ingenious plot twists of THE HIDDEN are satisfying to follow, and the books constant sifting of the present through the past is done with admirable intelligence. But what lingers more than anything are these quick, sure, playfully notational passages. You dont often see writing as lively as this.Apart from everything else that this novel is a beautifully paced thriller, a meditation on loss, guilt, obsession...it is also one of the finest novels written so far about tlƒ%