The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister

An appalachian gothic tale of family, loss, and finding oneself

From the Publisher:

In this atmospheric Appalachian gothic, the Haddesley siblings of West Virginia must unearth long-buried secrets to carve out a future 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.

This novel was an unexpected delight. The atmosphere, the characters, the tension…all leading up to an ending leaving me screaming. This book is not so much overt horror as it is the hallmark gothic creeping dread. The fear of isolation, the fear of change, the fear of what the bog will do if rituals are not completed just so.

I absolutely loved this tale. The characters jump off the page and I was immediately drawn to Wenna and her plight. I found myself yelling at my e-reader more than once. Charlie begs sympathy without actually begging. I could feel the weight on Eda’s shoulders, Nora’s anxiety and fear of being alone, and Percy’s lust for something greater than his “backup heir” role.

The story starts off somewhat slow, building setting and characters, but quickly builds speed, leaving you hungrily turning the pages for more.

I highly recommend you pick this one up!