Magda Szabó’s Abigail gets an English translation by Len Rix

Originally published in 1970, “Abigail” is Szabó’s most popular book in Hungary and has been adapted into both a TV series and a musical. It is even more widely read than “The Door,” the 1987 novel that might be her best-known work outside the country. And hence, The English edition of “Abigail” is as welcome as it is overdue.

In a review by the New York Times, the novel is described as “unspooling its secrets over many pages, and the resulting tour de force is taut with suspense.” Len Rix’s translation is impeccable, but Szabó’s frank, conversational prose takes a back seat to her sinuous plotting.

“Abigail” is at once harrowing and mesmerising, all the more so because we glimpse its dramas through the uncomprehending lens of Gina’s youthful simplicity. Nothing could ruin a book so humane — but to resolve the novel’s central mysteries, especially the enigma of Abigail’s identity, would be to diminish some of its breathless urgency. To learn the truth, you must consult Abigail herself.