First published 2021
Maria Echota calls her scattered family together for their yearly bonfire, a Cherokee tradition that also marks the anniversary of her son Ray-Ray's killing by police fifteen years ago. Her husband Ernest battles Alzheimer's while their daughter Sonja lives alone, consumed by intense romantic fixations. Their surviving son Edgar fled home long ago and numbs his pain with drugs. As the bonfire approaches, each family member experiences strange encounters with the spirit world. Maria and Ernest welcome a foster child who mysteriously clears Ernest's mental confusion. Sonja becomes obsessed with a man named Vin, whose connection to past tragedies spans generations. After a suicide attempt, Edgar finds himself in the Darkening Land, a realm between life and death where historical violence still resonates. The family must navigate these supernatural experiences while confronting their long-buried grief and the trauma that has held them apart for over a decade.
Genres: literary-fiction, contemporary, magical-realism, family-drama
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, supernatural-elements
Setting: Cherokee
Period: 15 years ago
288 pages · Kindle Edition · Ecco
Content warnings: mental-illness