Award-winning author Dr. Nora Gold’s new novella, ‘Doubles,’ explores the life of a 12-year-old girl who’s a math genius living in an institution
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA, April 28, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ — ‘Doubles: A Novella’ by Nora Gold, (May 1, 2026, Guernica Editions, $18.95), takes place in 1968 in an institution for troubled youth, and is told from the perspective of a brilliant, spunky, 12-year-old girl who is obsessed with math. Engagingly written and often funny, this novella explores how a sensitive young teenager changes over a six-month period from a polite, quiet “good girl” into a delinquent. Although set in the past, ‘Doubles’ has direct relevance to today, with our recently heightened awareness of the harsh reality in some of our residential institutions during that era (including for Indigenous children, but not only).
In our era of sprawling, thousand-page epics and the unrelenting hum of digital distraction, award-winning author Dr. Nora Gold, with this book, makes a persuasive case for the beauty of restraint. With the release of her forthcoming book, ‘Doubles’, Gold reaffirms her status as a champion of the novella.
‘Doubles’ is a masterclass in novellas’ economy of language. In a mere 86 pages, Gold crafts an unforgettable narrative that is at once achingly tender and often humorous about a girl struggling to maintain her sense of self-worth in the face of a dysfunctional family and a flawed child protection system. Ultimately her love of math, and her brilliance at it, becomes her lifeline and sustains her through the loneliness and grief of institutional life.
The Art of the Novella
For Gold, the novella is not merely a short novel; it’s a distinct and potent genre. “I love novellas because they embody the best of the novel and the best of the short story,” she says.
Gold traces her admiration for novellas to two works she read in college that ignited her appreciation of this genre. “The first novellas I ever read were ‘The Dead’ by James Joyce and ‘The Beast in the Jungle’ by Henry James,” she explains. “They astonished and resonated with me. And they showed me what a work of this length could accomplish.”
Gold joins an illustrious tradition of writers who have utilized the novella to explore the human condition. Famous novellas include ‘Animal Farm’ by George Orwell, ‘The Christmas Carol’ by Charles Dickens, and ‘Metamorphosis’ by Franz Kafka; and by women ‘The Yellow Wallpaper’ by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, ‘The Awakening’ by Kate Chopin, and ‘Ethan Frome’ by Edith Wharton. The novella has historically been the vehicle for some of literature’s most important and powerful works.
Critical Acclaim
Early reception for ‘Doubles’ suggests that Gold has successfully harnessed this power. “Nora Gold rises to new heights with her sixth book, ‘Doubles’,” writes Marion Hoffmann, author of Eva’s Daughters. “This novella is superficially simple, but really quite complex. The writing is beautiful. Serious ideas are expressed in this short but complicated book. Only an author of Nora Gold’s skill and experience could have pulled off this tour de force. Brava.”
“Narrated by a gifted girl who’s been near abandoned in a group home, Doubles is a stirring historical novella.” writes Michelle Schingler in Foreword Reviews, a leading book-industry journal.
‘Doubles’ was just added to the list of “Stunning Novellas” on Bookshop, an online bookstore supporting independent bookstores.
A Literary Figure
Dr. Nora Gold is a prize-winning author whose books often explore the intersection between the personal and the sociopolitical. Her debut collection, Marrow and Other Stories, won a Canadian Jewish Book Award, launching her reputation as a formidable voice in contemporary fiction. In a sign of her enduring appeal as an author, Marrow will be released for the first time as an ebook on May 1, 2026, allowing a new generation of readers to discover Gold’s fine stories.
In addition to her writing, Gold is a well-known and respected figure in the international literary community as the founder and editor-in-chief of the prestigious online literary journal, www.jewishfiction.com.
‘Doubles’ is available at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop and Guernica Editions.
Media Contact: Susannah Greenberg, Public Relations: (646) 801-7477, publicity@bookbuzz.com
Susannah Greenberg
Book Buzz by Susannah Greenberg Public Relations
+1 646-801-7477
publicity@bookbuzz.com
Visit us on social media:
LinkedIn
Facebook
Other
Nora Gold Reading from Her New Novella ‘Doubles’
Legal Disclaimer:
EIN Presswire provides this news content “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability
for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this
article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the author above.
Media gallery
