THE BOG WIFE
A “haunting, brilliant” Appalachian folktale evoking the Southern gothic suspense of Sharp Objects and the eco spine-tinglers of Jeff Vandermeer (Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts)
Five siblings in West Virginia unearth long-buried secrets when the supernatural bargain entwining their fate with their ancestral land is suddenly ruptured
Since time immemorial, the Haddesley family has tended the cranberry bog. In exchange, the bog sustains them. The staunch seasons of their lives are governed by a strict covenant that is renewed each generation with the ritual sacrifice of their patriarch, and in return,
A “haunting, brilliant” Appalachian folktale evoking the Southern gothic suspense of Sharp Objects and the eco spine-tinglers of Jeff Vandermeer (Paul Tremblay, author of A Head Full of Ghosts)
Five siblings in West Virginia unearth long-buried secrets when the supernatural bargain entwining their fate with their ancestral land is suddenly ruptured
Since time immemorial, the Haddesley family has tended the cranberry bog. In exchange, the bog sustains them. The staunch seasons of their lives are governed by a strict covenant that is renewed each generation with the ritual sacrifice of their patriarch, and in return, the bog produces a “bog-wife.” Brought to life from vegetation, this woman is meant to carry on the family line. But when the bog fails–or refuses–to honor the bargain, the Haddesleys, a group of discordant siblings still grieving the mother who mysteriously disappeared years earlier, face an unknown future.
Middle child Wenna, summoned back to the dilapidated family manor just as her marriage is collapsing, believes the Haddesleys must abandon their patrimony. Her siblings are not so easily persuaded. Eldest daughter Eda, de facto head of the household, seeks to salvage the compact by desecrating it. Younger son Percy retreats into the wilderness in a dangerous bid to summon his own bog-wife. And as youngest daughter Nora takes desperate measures to keep her warring siblings together, fledgling patriarch Charlie uncovers a disturbing secret that casts doubt over everything the family has ever believed about itself.
At once a gothic eco-horror, a psychological drama, and a family saga, The Bog Wife is a propulsive read for fans of Shirley Jackson, Karen Russell, and Matt Bell that speaks to what is knowable and unknowable within a family history and how to know when it is time to move forward.
- Counterpoint LLC
- Hardcover
- October 2024
- 336 Pages
- 9781640096622
Buy the Book
$28
About Kay Chronister
Kay Chronister is the author of Thin Places and Desert Creatures. Her short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Clarkesworld, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, The Dark, and elsewhere, and has been nominated for the Shirley Jackson and World Fantasy awards. She lives outside of Philadelphia.
Praise
Named a Most Anticipated Book by the Los Angeles Times, Polygon, Literary Hub, Book Riot, Sunset Magazine, & Goodreads
“A hauntingly compelling gothic.” —People
“If you’re in the mood to read a little folk horror this October, Kay Chronister’s West Virginia-based gothic, The Bog Wife, might be just what you’re looking for.” —Rachael Conrad, Polygon
“This Gothic family tale will give you the spooky story you’ve been waiting for all year. Set in the Appalachian mountains of West Virginia, the novel centers around the Haddesley family and their cranberry bog. Weaving in elements of the paranormal, Chronister gives us the long history of the family and their dark relationship with the land, complete with family secrets laid bare, and complicated sibling dynamics. It’s full of tales of family sacrifices, a missing mother, and deadly rituals.” —Bernadette Roe, Women.com
“Five siblings, ancient sacrificial practices, and a cranberry bog–what more could you want from a folk horror novel? If your answer is ‘for those rituals to stop working, ‘ look no further. The more I have learned about this one, the more I want to read it. It also sounds like it is walking that line between horror and literary fiction. Character driven and a family saga? Sign me up.” —The Fandomentals
“Terrific . . . A decaying old house, generational family dramas, a wavering line between the real and the unreal . . . The Bog Wife is a spooky-season novel for folks who don’t (think they) like horror.” —Drew Broussard, Literary Hub
“Much like its main characters, Kay Chronister’s new novel, The Bog Wife, lives in two worlds at once. It’s situated both in the real world, with fraught familial and marital relationships, complex social dynamics and crucial activities like paying bills and pre-emptively felling dangerous trees, as well as in a dreamy Southern gothic world filled with ancient magic, supernatural compacts and, potentially, murder. . . The Bog Wife is a lush, beautifully written novel about trying to be a person in our strange world. . . Pick this one up for its exquisite characterization, decaying settings and a dash of Southern gothic horror…will doubtless generate lively discussion in book club settings.” —The New York Times Book Review