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In this raw and lyrical folk horror novel, a journalist sent to a small town begins to unravel a dark secret that the women of the town 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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Creators
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Publisher
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Release date
August 6, 2024 -
Formats
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Kindle Book
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OverDrive Read
- ISBN: 9781683694304
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EPUB ebook
- ISBN: 9781683694304
- File size: 3373 KB
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Languages
- English
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Reviews
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June 17, 2024
Debut author Anderson crafts a truly unsettling gothic horror story. Reporter Carolyn Marshall is still recovering from her husband’s death and the miscarriage he never knew about when she’s sent to rural Raeford to follow up on a strange story: a horse has given birth to a healthy human infant, with a local teen claiming to be the father. Marshall finds an isolated, desolate, and deeply superstitious town, unwelcoming to outsiders. After someone releases a local barn’s horses and an immigrant worker is found murdered, Marshall thinks she might be on the trail of a more urgent and plausible story. As she builds rapport with the horse baby’s father and discovers the mundane troubles of this tight-knit community, she also pulls back the curtain on a looming supernatural threat. Anderson never builds the pervasive theme of pregnancy to a particular point, but her clear love for horse girls and an implicit acceptance of women’s competence despite gendered discrimination give the novel a strongly feminist tone. In the end, she pulls off an impressive trick by providing a satisfying conclusion while still leaving readers with a lingering sense of mystery. Horror fans will be rattled. Agent: Eric Smith, P.S. Literary. -
Starred review from July 1, 2024
DEBUT Grief-stricken journalist Carolyn Marshall finds herself in the small rural town of Raeford to cover an absurd story--a horse has given birth to a human baby. Having been assigned this outlandish piece by her editor in an attempt to force her into processing a recent devastating loss, Marshall has no plans to seriously investigate this bizarre rumor. However, as she begins making half-hearted inquiries, she is unexpectedly drawn to the mysterious town and its even more mysterious residents, leading her to discover that Raeford contains many disturbing secrets that simmer right beneath its surface. Anderson absolutely dazzles in her debut, with a beautifully crafted novel that is as mesmerizing as it is sinister. 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. VERDICT This is a triumph of folk horror that will gratify lovers of Midsommar and The Handmaid's Tale.--Jennifer Embree
Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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