Read an Excerpt from The Exclusion Zone, an Atmospheric, Mysterious New Novel by Alexis von Konigslow

Almost exactly a decade after the publication of her exceptional debut novel, Alexis von Konigslow returns with a genre-bending, atmospheric work that thrums with mystery and suspense. 

In The Exclusion Zone (Wolsak and Wynn), Renya, a scientist who specializes in the study of human fear has fled her troubled marriage and travelled to the "exclusion zone" around Chernobyl. There, other scientists are working in the eerie, desolated forests around the research station, but there is far more danger in those wilds that just the threat of radiation exposure. As she settles in to gather data from her colleagues and dig into the historical records of the region, strange things are clearly afoot. Her funding and those behind it have murky, suspicious origins, the findings of the local scientists are all over the place, and there are figures stalking the ruins of the abandoned city for unknown reasons. 

What follows is a haunting story about the distinct perspective of a female scientist in a politically-charged area, who reckons with the history of the place while exploring its powerful impact on those people who live there and the natural world. 

We've got a sampling of the novel to share with our readers today on Open Book, so dig in and then find this exciting new novel at your local indie bookseller!

An Excerpt from The Exclusion Zone by Alexis von Konigslow

Then she saw Claire. Charlie had cornered her. He was flirting; that much was clear. Claire wasn’t into it; that was equally clear. Claire was stuck in the corner between the outer wall and the railing. She couldn’t move. And his stance was aggressive. He was getting right in her face. They were right out in the open, right in front of everyone. Renya turned. She turned back. Charlie’s hand was on Claire’s arm now, tight it looked like. Claire had a partner. She wouldn’t want this. There couldn’t be consent here. And look at that body language. You didn’t need to be an expert to see the fear, the thinly veiled disgust. Claire was pressed right against the wall, and Charlie’s fingers were creeping now, up her arm.

Renya’s legs screamed to run, to get away, because no good could come of this. If she stepped in, then Charlie would know that she’d seen him touching Claire. He’d know that she’d seen him do something wrong. What would Claire even want? She’d get the brunt of this. Maybe Charlie wouldn’t go that much further. Renya usually just rode these things out. They never progressed too far. Sometimes they progressed too far.

Renya’s head and neck throbbed. She stepped backward, but then tripped on someone’s foot, nearly falling to the ground. When she turned back, Charlie’s hand was on Claire’s neck, his fingers brushing under her blouse. That was a line though. Certainly, Charlie had to know he was crossing a line, and in the middle of a crowd, what was he doing? Usually they waited to get you alone. The alcohol and semi-darkness were making him reckless. Claire turned and saw her. She opened her eyes wide. They shone in a sudden burst of security lights.

Renya had seen this before. How many times had she seen this, boundaries crossed as if they meant nothing? And the women expected it too. They knew there would be no saving them and that there would be no comeuppance for the monsters who did it. Renya couldn’t figure out any clever way to get her out. Well, she’d resort to brute force then. No, she’d make herself ridiculous. That’s what she would do.

Renya stumbled over. She pushed three big-animal people out of the way, then elbowed in between Claire and Charlie.

“Can I help you?” Charlie’s eyes were narrowed, his teeth bared. Renya shivered. She felt like she’d been doused in cold water. When people talk about bystanders not doing anything, they never talk about the crippling fear.

“I’m sorry,” she said. She reached for Claire. “Can I borrow her? Maybe I drank too much. Maybe it’s heatstroke. From earlier, obviously. Not from right now.” She turned to Charlie. “I ran. I’ve been running. I’ve been jogging every day but I haven’t been drinking water because I’ve been afraid of the radiation.” 

“That isn’t very clever,” Charlie said coldly.

“Claire’s better at making reasonable health decisions,” said Renya. “I mean, she’s less overwhelmed by the location.” She turned back to Claire. “You told me to come and get you if I felt woozy.”

Claire took her arm. “If you’ll excuse us,” she said, smiling tightly. “We can continue our conversation later.”

“Sorry for interrupting,” Renya said weakly. But already, Claire was steering her back inside. They retreated quickly to the corridor with the vending machine.

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Alexis von Konigslow is the author of The Capacity for Infinite Happiness. She has degrees in mathematical physics from Queen’s University and creative writing from the University of Guelph. She lives in Toronto with her family.