“Oh, what a beautiful book this is—deeply felt, humane, gorgeously written. Hilje’s prose is positively hypnotic––I sunk in and didn’t want to come up for air.”

— Claire Lombardo, New York Times bestselling author of The Most Fun We Ever Had and Same As It Ever Was

"With precision and tenderness, Lidija Hilje explores love, intimacy, family, duty, and the complex beauty of making a life for yourself that is very different from the one you were expecting. SLANTING TOWARDS THE SEA is thoughtful, compelling, and refreshing in its clear-eyed, assured style--this is a profound and deeply moving debut."

–– Kimberly King Parsons, author of the USA Today-bestselling novel We Were the Universe, and the National Book Award-longlisted story collection Black Light.

Slanting Towards the Sea is an utterly hypnotic debut that wrings a reader's attention with fierce and breathtaking acuity. Each page is flooded with transportive prose and stirring intimacy as Hilje weaves the story of three enmeshed souls whose longing is only eclipsed by the stunning grace they offer one another. This novel unfurls within the complicated beauty of Croatia, an ideal cinematic backdrop to this extraordinary love story. Artful, intensely moving, and unforgettable in every way.”

— Thao Thai, author of Banyan Moon

"With illuminating prose and gripping storytelling, Hilje asserts her place among the very few exciting new voices in world's literature who can bridge across languages and cultures. Slanting Towards the Sea is a love letter to Croatia and to anyone who dares to dream."

— Nguyễn Phan Quế Mai, internationally bestselling author of The Mountains Sing and Dust Child

Set against the wild beauty of Croatia’s coastal landscape at the fragile dawn of a new era, SLANTING TOWARDS THE SEA is an unforgettable testament to the transformative powers of radical intimacy and the courage it takes to break free of the past in order to claim a life of your own. A novel of extraordinary heart that holds a rare tenderness for all its characters and their deeply human complexities, it is one of the most moving and evocative debuts I have had the pleasure of reading in a long time. Lidija Hilje’s prose is mesmerizing—each sentence has a tidal pull.

––Madelaine Lucas, author of Thirst for Salt

“With nuanced characters, Slanting Towards the Sea is a novel of family and the love that shapes us.” — Booklist

"The author beautifully portrays Ivona’s grief, heartache, and determination to reinvent her life. Fans of Rachel Cusk will love this." — Publishers Weekly

”Slanting Towards the Sea is Hilje’s debut novel, but it feels as though it has inhabited our bookshelves for years, collecting watermarks from summers past.” — Autre Magazine

“Amid big feelings come wise questions about duty, potential, and connection.” — Christian Science Monitor

“Slanting Towards the Sea is a contemporary tragedy… a haunting novel that will leave you bereft… Poignant and evocative, exploring first love with an intensity so raw that reading feels like pressing on a bruise.” — The Spectator

“The perfect sultry summer novel, Slanting Towards the Sea reaches into the recesses of an ever-present contemporary sorrow and reveals that stagnation does not mean that one can never escape. A message of hope for the contemporary age – beautiful, lush, and deeply human.” — Nb. Magazine

“[A] rich and intoxicating reflection on what it means to love and desire as a woman in modern Croatia. Hilje has written an immersive and devastating debut and I am already wondering — and dreaming — about what will come next.” — ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

“[A] hugely promising debut about the fragile nature of potential and love.” — Hammock Literary Magazine

“Difficult to put down… Be warned – this is a novel that will bring you to tears.” — Dazed

“There is much more to Ivona – and to Hilje’s debut novel – than the tropes of sad-girl literature (…) [A] deeply compassionate account of a women attempting to come to terms with her relationships, history and herself. Just beautiful.” — Marie Claire UK