Anna North - The Life and Death of Sohpie Stark: A Novel

Gripping and provocative, The Life and Death of Sophie Stark is a haunting story of fame, love, and legacy told through the propulsive rise of an iconoclastic artist.

Sophie Stark begins her filmmaking career by creating a documentary about her obsession, Daniel, a college basketball star. But when she becomes too invasive, she finds herself the victim of a cruel retribution. The humiliation doesn’t stop her. Visionary and unapologetic, Sophie begins to use stories from the lives of those around her to create movies, and as she gains critical recognition and acclaim, she risks betraying the one she loves most.

Told in a chorus of voices belonging to those who knew Sophie best, The Life and Death of Sophie Stark is an intimate portrait of an elusive woman whose monumental talent and relentless pursuit of truth reveal the cost of producing great art.

PRAISE
“I read The Life and Death of Sophie Stark with my heart in my mouth. Not only a dissection of genius and the havoc it can wreak, but also a thunderously good story.”
–Emma Donoghue, author of Room

“Anna North is a natural, butter-smooth storyteller, and The Life and Death of Sophie Stark is an elegant, kaleidoscopic look at a challenging artist and at the way our lives are, in some respects, only silhouettes made from the perceptions of those who know us.”
–Maggie Shipstead, author of Seating Arrangements

“A fierce, page-turning, exposé of a would-be/could-be bright star. ‘Friends,’ former flames, and critics paint a portrait of an elusive cult filmmaker and the bridges she burned along the way.“
—Marie Claire

“It’s a welcome change to see a woman play the role of tortured artist and to hear instead from those who are left behind in her pursuit… [The Life and Death of Sophie Stark] unfolds with a surprising depth of feeling… North’s writing is assured and engrossing… An engaging exploration of what it takes to make art and, more importantly, what it takes to love those who make it.”
–Kirkus Reviews

“As taut and artistically ambitious as its title character, North’s novel upends the trope of the lone, tortured genius, considering instead the deeply human consequences of one person’s uncompromising vision.”
–Booklist

"North’s nuanced prose and emphasis on characterization result in a thoughtful, moving read that explores the creative process and its effects on relationships."
–Publishers Weekly

"Anna North has woven a circle of longing and frustration around her commanding central character, the enigmatic Sophie Stark. This novel isn’t just a character study, though—it’s a story of art, manipulation, and dependence. And, in its unique and satisfying structure, it’s a narrative high wire act, deftly executed.”
–Rebecca Makkai, author of The Hundred-Year House and Music for Wartime

“In this boldly conceived, superbly executed novel, Anna North explores the life of the brilliant, relentless Sophie Stark and the lives of those closest to her. The result is a portrait of a woman and her films so vivid and so painful that she leaps out of these pages into the reader’s imagination. A wonderful novel about art and passion and how we accommodate the other.”
–Margot Livesey, author of The Flight of Gemma Hardy

“Anna North’s first novel, America Pacifica, was superb, and The Life and Death of Sophie Stark, her second, is even better: skillfully designed and deeply felt, of course, but also wholly and mysteriously alive, in a way that many books simply aren’t. It explores the way people can be startled and changed—and frequently damaged and betrayed—by a confrontation with art, and proceeds in a round-robin of voices, each entirely natural, entirely human, yet filled with vibrancy and intimacy.”
—Kevin Brockmeier, author of The Brief History of the Dead and The Illumination

“Provocative and deeply compelling, The Life and Death of Sophie Stark is an incisive exploration of artistic integrity and ambition—and a haunting meditation on what it means to truly know another person.”
–Jennifer Dubois, author of Cartwheel and A Partial History of Lost Causes

“The Life and Death of Sophie Stark succeeds wildly at the almost impossible task of making an artist and her art come alive on the page. Anna North captures with fierce clarity the compulsions and ecstasies of creation, the spooky force it exerts on those drawn into a maker’s vision. Whether art is a gift or a curse is unflinchingly explored in this tight, suspenseful, and deeply empathetic novel.”
–Pamela Erens, author of The Understory and The Virgins