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The Unmothers
- Author
- Leslie J. Anderson
- Narrator
- Chelsea Stephens
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Publish Date
- 6 August 2024
- Run Time
- 8 hours 39 minutes
- Format
- Audiobook
What to expect
In this emotionally raw and propulsive folk horror-mystery, a journalist goes to a small town and unravels a dark secret that the women have been keeping for generations.
Marshall is still trying to put the pieces together after the death of her husband. After she is involved in a terrible accident, her editor sends her to the small, backwards town of Raeford to investigate a clearly ridiculous rumor: that a horse has given birth to a healthy, human baby boy.
When Marshall arrives in Raeford, she finds an insular town that is kinder to the horses they are famous for breeding than to their own people. But when two horribly mangled bodies are discovered in a field—one a horse, one a human—she realizes that there might be a real story here.
As she’s pulled deeper into the town and its guarded people, her sense of reality is tipped on its head. Is she losing her grip? Or is this impossible story the key to a dark secret that has haunted the women of Raeford for generations?
Unbearably tense and utterly gripping, this atmospheric tale of female rage, bodily autonomy, and generational trauma hails the arrival of a masterful storyteller.
Critics Review
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“If you love getting lost in a creepy small town, this outstanding novel is one you won’t want to miss.”
New York Times
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“The book positively crackles with powerful storytelling that expertly captures the essence of feminine fury, anguish, and empowerment and bottles it into haunting folk horror that will linger with readers long after the final chapter.”
Library Journal (starred review)
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“Those who enjoy horror with feminist themes will fall easily into The Unmothers.”
ScreenRant
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“[Anderson] pulls off an impressive trick by providing a satisfying conclusion while still leaving readers with a lingering sense of mystery.”
Publishers Weekly
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“Chelsea Stephens skillfully narrates…[and] brings the women of the town from fear to righteous retribution…The threat, horror, and mystery of the novel’s folklore is substantial and palpable.”
AudioFile
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“A gripping, grounded yarn about the forgotten corners of the country, the pains of pregnancy and motherhood, and, yes, the raw, majestic beauty of horses.”
Boing Boing
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“Terrifying in its beauty, horror, and power, this is a breathless read and a groundbreaking debut. You will never forget its dark spell.”
Alison Stine, Philip K. Dick Award–winning author
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“A grimly beautiful novel about the terrifying collective power of women’s sublimated hope, grief, and rage…This is folk horror for a forgotten America.”
Emily C. Hughes, author of Horror for Weenies
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“[A] story about the terrifying ways people cling to—and weaponize—belief systems…You will easily fall captive to the eerie town of Raeford and its monsters.”
Anne Heltzel, author of Just Like Mother
User Reviews
No reviews yet.
Details
- Author
- Leslie J. Anderson
- Narrator
- Chelsea Stephens
- Duration
- 8 hours 39 minutes
- Release Date
- 6 August 2024
- ISBN
- 9798874726881
- Format
- Audiobook
- Publisher
- Blackstone Publishing
- Genre
- Horror and supernatural fiction, Thriller / suspense fiction, Horror and supernatural fiction, Fiction: general and literary, Feminism and feminist theory
Synopsis
In this emotionally raw and propulsive folk horror-mystery, a journalist goes to a small town and unravels a dark secret that the women have been keeping for generations.Marshall is still trying to put the pieces together after the death of her husband. After she is involved in a terrible accident, her editor sends her to the small, backwards town of Raeford to investigate a clearly ridiculous rumor: that a horse has given birth to a healthy, human baby boy.When Marshall arrives in Raeford, she finds an insular town that is kinder to the horses they are famous for breeding than to their own people. But when two horribly mangled bodies are discovered in a field—one a horse, one a human—she realizes that there might be a real story here.As she’s pulled deeper into the town and its guarded people, her sense of reality is tipped on its head. Is she losing her grip? Or is this impossible story the key to a dark secret that has haunted the women of Raeford for generations?Unbearably tense and utterly gripping, this atmospheric tale of female rage, bodily autonomy, and generational trauma hails the arrival of a masterful storyteller.
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