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The most celebrated movie of the year is now the must-read novel of 2018."[A] phenomenally enrapturing and reverberating work of art in its own right...[that] vividly illuminates the minds of the characters, greatly enhancing our understanding of their temperaments and predicaments and providing more expansive and involving story lines." -- BOOKLIST Visionary storyteller Guillermo del Toro and celebrated author Daniel Kraus combine their estimable talent in this haunting, heartbreaking love story.It is 1962, and Elisa Esposito -- mute her whole life, orphaned as a child -- is struggling with her humdrum existence as a janitor working the graveyard shift at Baltimore's Occam Aerospace Research Center. Were it not for Zelda, a protective coworker, and Giles, her loving neighbor, she doesn't know how she'd make it through the day.Then, one fateful night, she sees something she was never meant to see, the Center's most sensitive asset ever: an amphibious man, captured in the Amazon, to be studied for Cold War advancements. The creature is terrifying but also magnificent, capable of language and of understanding emotions ... and Elisa can't keep away. Using sign language, the two learn to communicate. Soon, affection turns into love, and the creature becomes Elisa's sole reason to live.But outside forces are pressing in. Richard Strickland, the obsessed soldier who tracked the asset through the Amazon, wants nothing more than to dissect it before the Russians get a chance to steal it. Elisa has no choice but to risk everything to save her beloved. With the help of Zelda and Giles, Elisa hatches a plan to break out the creature. But Strickland is on to them. And the Russians are, indeed, coming.Developed from the ground up as a bold two-tiered release -- one story interpreted by two artists in the independent mediums of literature and film -- The Shape of Water is unlike anything you've ever read or seen."Most movie novelizations do little more than write down what audiences see on the screen. But the novel that's accompanying Guillermo del Toro's new movie The Shape of Water is no mere adaptation. Co-author Daniel Kraus' book and the film tell the same story, of a mute woman who falls in love with an imprisoned and equally mute creature, in two very different ways." -- io9Praise for The Shape of Water directed by Guillermo del ToroWinner of the 2018 Golden Globe Award for Best Director of a Motion Picture"With encouragement from critics and awards voters, discerning viewers should make Fox Searchlight's December release the season's classiest date movie -- for perhaps the greatest of The Shape of Water's many surprises is how extravagantly romantic it is." -- Variety"It is never less than magnificent." -- TheDaily Beast"A visually and emotionally ravishing fantasy that should find a welcome embrace from audiences starved for imaginative escape." -- The Hollywood ReporterAwarded the Golden Lion for Best Film at the74th Annual Venice International Film Festival
About the Author
Guillermo del Toro is one of the most creative and visionary artists of his generation whose distinctive style is showcased through his work as a filmmaker, screenwriter, producer and author. Born in Guadalajara, Mexico, del Toro first gained worldwide recognition for the 1993 Mexican-American co-production "Cronos," a supernatural horror film. In 2004, del Toro directed and co-wrote the action-adventure sci-fi thriller "Hellboy". Del Toro earned international acclaim as the director, writer and producer of the 2006 fantasy drama "Pan's Labyrinth." In all, the film garnered more than 40 international awards and appeared on more than 35 critics' lists of the year's best films. In 2013, del Toro wrote and directed the epic sci-fi action-adventure "Pacific Rim", which has grossed over $400 million worldwide.
Del Toro has also turned his attention to publishing. With novelist Chuck Hogan, he co-authored the vampire horror novel "The Strain," which was published in June 2009 by William Morrow. They have since collaborated on "The Fall" and "The Night Eternal" which make up "The Strain Trilogy." All three books debuted as The New York Times top-ten bestsellers. Dark Horse Comics has also issued a graphic novel series adapted from the trilogy. In October 2013, Harper Design published "Guillermo del Toro Cabinet of Curiosities," a lavishly illustrated book that contains notes, drawings, and untold creatures from del Toro's private journals.
