First published 2015
A young girl creates the first markings that will become writing on cave walls in the Paleolithic era. Centuries later, accusations of witchcraft tear through seventeenth century communities as fear and suspicion consume entire towns. In a 1920s asylum, a poet fixated on spiral patterns pushes his doctor toward madness as treatment becomes obsession. Finally, aboard a spacecraft heading to colonize a distant world, passengers confront what it means to leave everything behind. Each story connects through recurring motifs of spirals, creation, and the thin line between genius and insanity. The cave artist, the accused witch, the mad poet, and the space travelers all grapple with forces that threaten to consume them. Their struggles with obsession and the drive to create something lasting form the emotional heart of these interconnected tales.
Genres: science-fiction, literary-fiction, historical-fiction, fantasy
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: interconnected-stories, nonlinear-narrative, recurring-motifs
Setting: Paleolithic Era, Seventeenth Century, 1920s Asylum, Distant World
Period: Paleolithic Era, Seventeenth Century, 1920s, Future
360 pages · Hardcover · Roaring Brook Press