WE SOLD OUR SOULS
A Novel
Now in paperback, in this hard-rocking, spine-tingling supernatural thriller, the washed-up guitarist of a ’90s heavy metal band embarks on an epic road-trip across America and deep into the web of a sinister conspiracy.
Every morning, Kris Pulaski wakes up in hell. In the 1990s she was lead guitarist of Dürt Würk, a heavy-metal band on the brink of breakout success until lead singer Terry Hunt embarked on a solo career and rocketed to stardom, leaving his bandmates to rot in obscurity.
Now Kris works as night manager of a Best Western; she’s tired, broke, and unhappy.
Now in paperback, in this hard-rocking, spine-tingling supernatural thriller, the washed-up guitarist of a ’90s heavy metal band embarks on an epic road-trip across America and deep into the web of a sinister conspiracy.
Every morning, Kris Pulaski wakes up in hell. In the 1990s she was lead guitarist of Dürt Würk, a heavy-metal band on the brink of breakout success until lead singer Terry Hunt embarked on a solo career and rocketed to stardom, leaving his bandmates to rot in obscurity.
Now Kris works as night manager of a Best Western; she’s tired, broke, and unhappy. One day everything changes—a shocking act of violence turns her life upside down, and she begins to suspect that Terry sabotaged more than just the band. Kris hits the road, hoping to reunite Dürt Würk and confront the man who ruined her life. Her journey will take her from the Pennsylvania rust belt to a celebrity rehab center to a satanic music festival. A furious power ballad about never giving up, We Sold Our Souls is one woman’s epic journey to reclaim her life—and save her soul.
- Quirk Books
- Paperback
- June 2019
- 336 Pages
- 9781683691242
Buy the Book
$14.99
About Grady Hendrix
Grady Hendrix is a novelist and screenwriter based in New York City. His novels include Horrorstör, named one of the best books of 2014 by National Public Radio, and My Best Friend’s Exorcism, for which the Wall Street Journal dubbed him “a national treasure.” The Bram Stoker Award winning Paperbacks from Hell, a survey of outrageous horror novels of the 1970s and ’80s, was called “pure, demented delight” by the New York Times Book Review. He’s contributed to Playboy, The Village Voice, and Variety.
Praise
An NPR Pop Culture Happy Hour Pick
An io9 2018 Fall Preview Pick
A 2018 Goodreads Choice Award Finalist
“A good, creepy, music-tinged thriller.”—CNET
“The quintessential horror-metal novel for our times.”—Los Angeles Review of Books
Discussion Questions
1. Before reading this book, how much did you know about the music industry generally and heavy metal in particular? Did you learn anything new about either of these subjects?
2. How do the author’s depictions of Kris Pulaski playing her guitar function as a storytelling device?
3. How did the culture of heavy metal influence the way that characters deal with or react to the situations in which they find themselves?
4. In what ways are Kris and Melanie Gutiérrez similar? In what ways are they different? Why do you think Melanie chose to help Kris?
5. The two characters whose opinions most strongly clash with those of Terry Hunt are women. Why do you think the author chose to put female characters in opposition to Terry?
6. Why did Melanie want to move to Los Angeles? Can you relate to any of her reasons?
7. The chapters are interrupted by excerpts of radio interviews and commercials and news articles. What purpose did these selections serve? Do you think they enhanced the story?
8. Lyrics from Dürt Würk’s songs appear throughout the book. Did the inclusion of song lyrics change your perspective on the narrative? Did you feel like you could “hear” Dürt Würk’s music as you read?
9. We learn that Kris experienced traumatic events in the time prior to the start of the novel. What effect do you think these experiences had on her and on her decision making?
10. How did you feel about the author’s choice to associate mundane things like UPS delivery drivers and contractual disputes with the sinister forces behind Terry’s success?