The Down Days
In the vein of The Book of M comes a fast-paced, character-driven literary apocalyptic novel that
explores life, love, and loss in a post-truth society.
In the aftermath of a deadly outbreak—reminiscent of the 1962 event of mass hysteria that was the
Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic—a city at the tip of Africa is losing its mind, with residents
experiencing hallucinations and paranoia. Is it simply another episode of mass hysteria, or something
more sinister? In a quarantined city in which the inexplicable has already occurred, rumors,
superstitions, and conspiracy theories abound.
During these strange days, Faith works as a fulltime corpse collector and a freelance “truthologist,”
putting together disparate pieces of information to solve problems. But after Faith agrees to help an
orphaned girl find her abducted baby brother, she begins to wonder whether the boy is even real.
Meanwhile, a young man named Sans who trades in illicit goods is so distracted by a glimpse of his
dream woman that he lets a bag of money he owes his gang partners go missing-leaving him
desperately searching for both and soon questioning his own sanity.
Over the course of a single week, the paths of Faith, Sans, and a cast of other hustlers—including a
data dealer, a drug addict, a sin eater, and a hyena man—will cross and intertwine as they move
about the city, looking for lost souls, uncertain absolution, and answers that may not exist.
Some praise for The Down Days:
"Powerful and nuanced… From the book’s first sentence, Hugo establishes herself as a master of language." — Tor.com
“The Down Days is one of the most accurate depictions of the strange realities of life during a pandemic… A shaggy dog story and modern noir, The Down Days feels particularly familiar now, due in part to its strange blend of tragedy and absurdity… The result closely resembles Sam J. Miller’s Blackfish City, highly literary speculative fiction that blends elements of sci-fi and mysticism but grounds the high concepts with charming characters and a brilliantly realized setting… A surprisingly comforting work... The world may be dramatically changed, but when people are willing to take risks and work together, we can get through anything.” — The A.V. Club
"Readers who enjoy meaty speculative fiction like The Power by Naomi Alderman will find much to chew on in The Down Days, which poses extremely timely questions about faith, authority, hope and conspiracy theories." — BookPage
“Science fiction and spirituality intertwine in Hugo’s fun, apocalyptic mystery debut… Hugo adeptly
juggles multiple points of view... The arresting prose, an effortless blend of Afrikaans slang and
invented jargon, peppered with evocative turns of phrase elevates this from run-of-the-mill science
fiction thriller. Fans of gritty environmental sci-fi will enjoy this dynamic, fast-paced debut.”
— Publishers Weekly
"This supernaturally charged dystopian, fueled by noir-like tones and a pulp mystery format, paints a poignant picture of the class division that plagues South Africa, magnifying it through the lens of a pandemic. With sickness and death the new norm, an abstract examination of the tenets of grief becomes one of the novel’s most persuasive themes, laying the groundwork to explore the frightening—and occasionally beautiful—ways that tragedy can transform a city and its people." — Blind Corner Literary Magazine
“With a fresh new voice that jumps off the page and an incisive, probing plunge into the double-
edged coin of survival and grief, The Down Days brings the tenacious synchronicity of Tom Robbins
to science fiction with the pacing and mystery of a thriller.” — Delilah S. Dawson, New York
Times Bestselling Author
“The descriptions in Hugo’s expressive debut paint — in this case, spray paint — a highly imaginative
picture of a quarantined South African city abandoned by the government…The present-day,
alternative-earth setting and prevalent Afrikaans slang combine to make a vivid and timely portrait
of desolate lives looking for hope in a town closed off from the outside world.” —Booklist
“A community in a city in Africa struggles to deal with circumstances after they are quarantined
following an outbreak of a deadly laughing epidemic. Perfect for fans of The Book of M, The
Dreamers, Wanderers, and other novels with unusual plagues.” — Booklist
“Set in South Africa, seven years into an epidemic, I was immediately drawn in by Faith, who collects
corpses and scraps of information. The novel moves fluidly through a strange and twisted world
filled with even stranger inhabitants, where reality becomes elusive. Definitely a writer to watch.” —
Powell’s Books
“We’re living in strange times. Why not face it head on and read a novel similar to our current
reality? The Down Days is a fascinating story about the residents of an African city quarantined after
an outbreak of laughter... The similarities will give you hope and change the way you think about
holding onto your old way of life.” — Hello Giggles
"Eerily astute and energetic… It is a strange thing to have a dystopian work of science fiction suddenly read like a realist novel in the vein of Balzac, but that is what makes The Down Days such a bizarre (but wildly addictive) book." — The New Republic
"Part of the novel’s interest is caught up in the way its diseased, post-truth wasteland rhymes with our own—but, mercifully, Hugo’s rendition of a confused, quarantined city is both stranger and more hopeful than reality." — Wired Magazine
"Whenever I read a debut author, especially if I’m impressed with their novel, I’m always curious to see how their career will take shape and how their voice will change over the years. I felt that curiosity with Ilze Hugo, who has struck the balance between literary and genre fiction, the historical and the speculative, and paired this with such masterful language that I’m eager to see what else she’ll have in store." — Strange Horizons
