Book Description
“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.” —Kiersten White, The New York Times Book Review
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.
Praise For This Book
An Amazon Editors' PickNamed a Most Anticipated Book by the Los Angeles Times, Polygon, Literary Hub, Book Riot, The Millions, Sunset Magazine, Reactor, & Goodreads
"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." —Kiersten White, The New York Times Book Review
"Chronister is a dynamic writer who has married a family chronicle to literary horror in a way that will excite many readers. Perhaps more significantly, she has, in this novel, perfected the idea of place as character. The West Virginia land becomes a foil through which we see the messy tensions among the Haddesley siblings, and it is ultimately through the land that we come to see the ways that human beings bring strife and violence to the environment . . . The Bog Wife is a truly engaging novel." —Jeffrey Condran, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A hauntingly compelling gothic." —People
"If you need a good old fashioned gothic horror story to sustain you through the Halloween season, then look no further than The Bog Wife." —Chelsey Sanchez, A Harper's Bazaar Best Book of Fall
"You’ve heard of cottagecore and faeriecore, but are you ready to embrace bogcore? If not, Kay Chronister’s new tale of familial sacrifice and obligation will thoroughly immerse you in the vibe . . . [T]his haunting novel is the perfect way to kick off the spooky season."—Cindy White, The A.V. Club
“One of the biggest book releases of October 2024 . . . A dark, lush exploration of generational trauma, grief, and tradition . . . A can't-miss October release.” —Amanda Mullen, Screen Rant
"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
“The Bog Wife is ultimately not only the story of how the Haddesleys forge a new compact of what it means to be family but a reflection on the necessity of creating new interactions with nature that take us from a position of dominion and ownership to one of participation and attention.” —Sally Parlier, Strange Horizons
“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.” —Kim Narby, Write or Die
"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
“A fantastical, gothic tale.” —Tobias Carroll, A Reactor Most Anticipated Book of Fall
"A fascinatingly internal (and thus intentionally incomplete) interrogation of tradition itself, particularly in abusively paternal forms, with a thin ray of hope stemming from the endurance of our connections to the land and each other . . . The strength of The Bog Wife is really in its character work, but there’s also something rich, unsettling, and even magical in the bog itself as a central idea: its uncanny powers of preservation and muck-buried secrets, its inevitable changes, and its vegetal interconnection and potential for rebirth." —Jake Casella Brookins, Locus Magazine
"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
"Chronister brings a deeply Gothic sensibility to her latest novel . . . Through deeply considered characters, a nuanced, specific portrayal of the bog, and supernatural elements that reveal our deepest human impulses, Chronister invites readers to contemplate the ways in which the systems and histories we are part of can both hold us and be deeply harmful, all at once." —Jacqueline Alnes, Electric Literature
"This book will leave you thinking, wtf did I just read?!? As Brat Summer ends and we head into to #bogcore fall, you can pick up the latest from Kay Chronister and slowly sink into the peaty depths of a dense and inflammatory gothic." —Molly Odintz, Crime Reads
"Supernatural, atmospheric, and deeply immersive, the latest from Chronister makes readers feel the damp, hear the rain, smell the moss, and see the flush of fear and blush of shame of the characters . . . Gothic horror at its absolute finest, this story is as mythical as it is malignant." —Library Journal (starred review)
"An immersive, haunting, and compelling tale of a family being crushed by the weight of their secrets and held hostage by their traditions. It's a lush and uneasy tale that leaves both characters and readers at the mercy of the land itself." —Booklist
"A terrifically creepy Appalachian fairy tale-turned-horror story . . . A lavishly imaginative world that is equal parts grotesque and beautiful, dying and yet full of life . . . Kay Chronister's The Bog Wife, as atmospheric as it is thoughtful, will delight fans of Karen Russell and Angela Carter alike in its marriage of eco-speculative fiction and gothic horror." —Alice Martin, Shelf Awareness
"Thank goodness for Kay Chronister, delivering the book that all the bog-wives need: a story about a family, a bog, and the connection between them." —Drew Broussard, Literary Hub
"The Bog Wife is a creeping, Appalachian folktale, an astute allegory for a decaying America, and a haunting, brilliant novel. This one is going to stay with me for a while." —Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World and A Head Full of Ghosts
"Five siblings in their decrepit ancestral home, raised to believe outlandish things, some of which might be true, must navigate a new way of existing in the world. It’s got everything: Gothic eco-horror, plant consciousness, an emotionally distant bog-woman mom, a lying tyrannical father, siblings pulled between twin desires of wanting to individuate and to be part of something larger than themselves. Soulful, suspenseful, expansive and emotionally complicated. I couldn’t put this book down, and I’m sure that it will haunt me." —Katya Apekina, author of Mother Doll
