Ink Blood Sister Scribe

Ink Blood Sister Scribe, published in 2023, is Emma Törzs’s debut novel. Törzs earned her MFA in Creative Writing from the University of Montana in Missoula. Set between Antarctica, Vermont, and London, the novel exemplifies magical realism: It takes place in a realistic world but centers around magical books written in the blood of Scribes. Through half-sisters and protagonists Joanna and Esther, the novel explores the complexities of Family, Estrangement, and Personal Identity. In the tradition of 20th-century Latin American magical realism, Törzs employs genre to offer cultural critique and explores The Relationship between Responsibility and Power to highlight the problematic functions of establishment, prejudice, and exploitation. A book about books, Ink Blood Sister Scribe also includes metafictional elements and delves into The Magic of Books. Ink Blood Sister Scribe is a New York Times Notable Book of the Year and a Good Morning America Book Club pick.

This guide refers to the 2023 William Morrow edition.

Plot Summary

Ink Blood Sister Scribe begins two years after Abe Kalotay’s death—caused by a spell book with a “vampire” anti-tampering spell.