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"A fast-paced and suspenseful novel about faith and family in the age of terrorism. "
—Sara D., Capital Area District Library
Watch Sara's review
"Hamilton has used both her considerable empathy as a writer and her experience in the Middle East to create an intimate portrait ... (She's) made it very hard to tear your gaze away."
The Washington Post "Riveting ... Hamilton throws a lot of balls in the air. Lucky for readers, she's a decidedly talented juggler."
Minneapolis Star-Tribune "A literary novel that is also as suspenseful as a thriller. Hamilton has written something singular...the pace of the most entertaining thriller, the information of an educational documentary, the compassion of an enlightening text, and the coherence of an artwork."
The Book Studio "Gorgeous and complex . . . a very tense narrative, vividly imagined and eerily plausible."
Publishers Weekly "One of the best novels I've read this year."
—Carol Fitzgerald, founder, BookReporter.com "You don't just read this gut-wrenching book; you become part of it in a deep, primal way. Hamilton's story is so real and so raw, it takes over your thoughts and feelings and never lets go. We need to start a global book club and make this its first selection."
—Lois Alter Mark, StyleSubstanceSoul.com "31 Hours is so beautifully written it nearly took my breath away . . . I love this book, which is so timely and relevant to our troubled times."
—Carol Katsoulis, Anderson's Bookshop, Naperville, IL "Sometimes, even after the last word is read and the final page turned, a book is so full of unique and deftly drawn characters that they seem to continue living, free of the pages, ink, and binding that contained them. Masha Hamilton's 31 Hours is such a book, and each character, no matter how brief the appearance, is so vibrant and fascinating that the idea of the end of the book, the end of the reader's ability to follow them as they live their lives, feels like a deep and tragic loss."
Bookgeeks.co.uk "I highly recommend 31 Hours . . . I'm still thinking about this haunting novel. Hamilton makes astute observations about human nature, the current political and social climate in the U.S., and she does this through characters that I truly came to care for and worry about."
—Julie McGuire, fiction editor, Internet Review of Books "Highly readable . . . keeps us engaged most with the desire to answer the standard thriller question: Can the killer be stopped? ... Hamilton arrays her characters smartly, then points them toward the subway . . . Women, in particular, will inhale this book."
Cleveland Plain Dealer "How much can we ever know the ones we truly love? So asks Masha Hamilton in her riveting new novel, 31 Hours. It kept me up all night, and left me in tears."
—Amanda Eyre Ward, author of Sleep Toward Heaven, Love Stories In This Town "Brilliantly understated...as stark and quietly terrifying as anything I have read recently....A thriller in every sense of the word, it is also a work of literary fiction, a cautionary tale for the times taking place somewhere at this moment and for the foreseeable future."
bookreporter.com
  "I think the best way I could describe 31 Hours is that it's this emotional snowflake that turns into a snowball that turns to an avalanche."
—Meg O'Connor, Maria's Bookshop "I was awed by it...31 HOURS was gripping and powerful while also being thought-provoking; and after I finished it, I was literally shaking. Rarely does a book move me or affect me like this one did. I swear the ending actually took my breath away."
bookingmama I could not put this one down! ... Ultimately it is a haunting reminder of how much each moment and hour of the act of living is an act of trust, and how the fragility of our existence is so quickly and easily unraveled.
linussblanket.com "I enjoyed Hamilton's quietly insistent use of parallels and repeating themes and even irony...jaw dropping and thought provoking."
—Laura Hansen, Bookin' It Bookstore "Stunning . . . Hamilton keeps the suspense drawn so tightly that there were entire chapters where I forgot to breathe, only catching a breath with the blank page at the end of a chapter. Brilliantly written, this is a book that won't let the reader go easily." Christy's Book Blog "Hamilton's novel raises many thought-provoking questions, which makes it a strong choice for book clubs and for readers who enjoy character-driven fiction with contemporary political relevance." Library Journal "Hamilton masterfully sets up the tension until you, as a reader, get to the point of finishing a chapter and looking at your watch to see if you have time to fit in another. It's like every character is a grain of sand spiraling down an hour glass. They slowly come closer and closer together until they all meet in the middle . . . Hamilton's mastery of words will pull you in and not let you go." minnesotareads.com "Masha Hamilton uncovers the complex humanity behind the horror of terrorism. Read it for the exquisite craft, but also for the entry into a world that's often splashed in the headlines, but seldom so brilliantly revealed."
—Caroline Leavitt, author of Girls in Trouble and Coming Back to Me "A book of hope, despair and yearning that stays with you far beyond the final page. This book is poetic, frightening, and absolutely impossible to put down. Masha Hamilton is one of my very favorite writers, and stories like this are the reason why."
—Laura Fitzgerald, author of Veil of Roses and One True Theory of Love "Equal parts thriller and poetry, Masha Hamilton's 31 Hours had me turning pages late into the night and thinking about its startling conclusion long after I'd read the last page. In compelling readers to reconsider how we think about terrorism, this beautiful novel will provoke understanding, and perhaps even inspire us toward much-needed change."
—Meg Waite Clayton, author of The Wednesday Sisters "In 31 Hours, Masha Hamilton tells the poignant story of mothering a misguided, idealistic, puzzling yet familiar young man in today's alarming political climate. It is a deep meditation on the roots of terrorism - and how closely related they can be to one's own family and home. The title is straightforward yet fraught with meaning; the gorgeous prose that follows wastes neither a phrase nor a sigh."
—Barbara Fischkin, author of Muddy Cup and Confidential Sources
All photos by Cheney Hamilton Orr