Milwaukee’s Zhanna Slor Serves Mystery and Murder in her Latest Novel

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'Breakfall' by Zhanna Slor

Milwaukee author Zhanna Slor made a splash in 2021 with the publication of her first novel. Set in Riverwest, At the End of the World, Turn Left is a mystery concerning a pair of Russian sisters who immigrated with their parents and were forced to confront their father’s Soviet past. Turn Left was honored by Booklist as one of the top 10 debuts of the year and praised by NPR as “elegantly crafted and authentic.”

Slor returns with a murder mystery, Breakfall. She says that she wasn’t planning on delving into the genre but was going to write a literary novel about an unhealthy relationship focusing on two people who meet at a gym. “Halfway through, I realized it really needed a murder,” she explains. “Then it basically wrote itself. Which is similar to what happened with my first book, actually, it just wasn’t a murder, it was a disappearance. And it took much longer to figure out the first time around. I guess I just like the mystery genre! I like a good story that keeps you engaged but also dives into characters and cultures.”

She describes Breakfall as “a story about relationships, marriage and motherhood. But there’s also murder. And jiu jitsu!” 

Breakfall is much less autobiographical than Turn Left but then, as she says, “All novels are a little bit autobiographical, because you can’t help but put your own ideas and thoughts in people’s minds and words.”

Zhanna Slor will sign copies starting at 4 p.m. and discuss the book at 5 p.m., April 8 at Sugar Maple, 441 E. Lincoln Ave. The event is sponsored by Lion’s Tooth Books.