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Sign up todayThe Unmothers
A Novel
Narrator
Chelsea Stephens
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Length
8 hours 38 minutes
Language
English
Bookseller recommendation
“Gritty, fast-paced, and visceral, this horror novel is about a back-country town in which a horse gives birth to a human baby - allegedly. Following the points-of-view of a slew of perfectly flawed and troubling individuals, this feminist horror is the perfect read for anyone who has ever been so angry that they've wished grave tidings upon their enemies. ”
— Lambie • Underground Books
In this emotionally raw and propulsive folk horror-mystery, a journalist goes to a small town and unravels a dark secret that the women have been keeping for generations.
Marshall is still trying to put the pieces together after the death of her husband. After she is involved in a terrible accident, her editor sends her to the small, backwards town of Raeford to investigate a clearly ridiculous rumor: that a horse has given birth to a healthy, human baby boy.
When Marshall arrives in Raeford, she finds an insular town that is kinder to the horses they are famous for breeding than to their own people. But when two horribly mangled bodies are discovered in a field—one a horse, one a human—she realizes that there might be a real story here.
As she’s pulled deeper into the town and its guarded people, her sense of reality is tipped on its head. Is she losing her grip? Or is this impossible story the key to a dark secret that has haunted the women of Raeford for generations?
Unbearably tense and utterly gripping, this atmospheric tale of female rage, bodily autonomy, and generational trauma hails the arrival of a masterful storyteller.
Leslie J. Anderson has spent much of her life riding, training, and caring for horses. Her collection of poetry, An Inheritance of Stone, was nominated for an Elgin award. She has an MA degree in creative writing from Ohio University.
Chelsea Stephens is an experienced voice actor with a talent for mystery, sci-fi, and YA novels. She won an AudioFile Earphones Award for her narration of Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter. She has a longtime love and appreciation for the performing arts, with experience in onstage acting, singing, and voice-over. Her love for reading books and the pursuit of the story led her to narration. She enjoys unfolding characters and bringing listeners into new worlds.
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Reviews
“Terrifying in its beauty, horror, and power, this is a breathless read and a groundbreaking debut. You will never forget its dark spell.”
“A grimly beautiful novel about the terrifying collective power of women’s sublimated hope, grief, and rage…This is folk horror for a forgotten America.”
“[A] story about the terrifying ways people cling to—and weaponize—belief systems…You will easily fall captive to the eerie town of Raeford and its monsters.”
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