Red Rabbit Ghost - by Jen Julian (Paperback)

About the Book

"Jesse Calloway hadn't planned to return to his repressive, backwoods hometown of Blacknot, North Carolina, after only one year away at college, but an anonymous messenger has lured him home. Eighteen years ago, his mother died under unexplained circumstances. Every story he has heard is incomplete. Now, the messenger claims to have the answers. But Jesse will have to hunt for them. Alice Catherine, the daughter of a local pork manufacturer, obsesses over Jesse in turn. To her, he is a key player in unearthing the dark family history she's convinced her father is concealing. Alice knows Jesse must find the answers himself, with the hope that once he does, he'll help her change both their futures. But Jesse's path to Alice isn't a straight line, and his questions are stirring up issues with locals, including his much older and well-armed ex-boyfriend, Harlan. When an old fling of Jesse's goes missing and Alice's plans start to unravel, it's clear there's more at stake than either of them could imagine. On a collision course littered with psychotropic fungi, time-warping magic, and far too many alligators, Jesse and Alice will need to determine how far they are willing to go for the truth, and whether they can trust each other enough to get there..."--

Book Synopsis

In this genre-bending debut from brilliant new voice Jen Julian, Southern Gothic meets slow-burn dread, and an impulsive outcast must confront his small town's dark secrets.

"Drenched in dread and yearning, Red Rabbit Ghost is the kind of Gothic novel that you don't so much read as inhale. I loved it." ― Kelly Link, author of The Book of Love

"Deeply immersive and darkly mysterious. Certain to be one of the year's standout horror reads." ― Craig DiLouie, author of Episode Thirteen

Eighteen years ago, an infant Jesse Calloway was found wailing on the bank of a river, his mother dead beside him. The mystery of her death has haunted him all his life, and despite every effort, he has never been able to uncover the truth.

Now someone is promising him answers. An anonymous source claims that they'll tell him everything. But only if he returns to the hometown he swore he'd left in the rearview.

But in Blacknot, North Carolina, nothing is as it seems. It's a town that buries its secrets deep. Jesse's relentless investigation garners attention from intimidating locals, including his dangerous ex-boyfriend. And he'll soon discover that this backwater town hides a volatile and haunting place on its desolate edge.

The Night House is calling. Some secrets are better left buried...

"At once elegiac and deeply visceral. A bittersweet ode to all the ways in which a place can haunt us long after we've departed―and transform us when we return." ― Georgia Summers, #1 international bestselling author

"Julian weaves a dark spell with the bones of southern gothic storytelling and gorgeous prose. To enter this haunted swamp of a novel is to lose yourself in cosmic mystery." ― Andy Marino, author of The Swarm

Review Quotes

"Some most excellent dark and stormy night reading... A dark and juicy novel that drips in Southern atmosphere."

--Locus

"Possibly my favorite new read of the summer... The entirety of this book had me in its clutches, and despite being close to 400 pages long, I devoured this book immediately. It's an incredibly fast paced read while still managing to deeply explore characters, create an eerie vibe, and have you feeling twisted up within its story.... I just loved this book... Perfect for those that love southern horror, deeply flawed characters, swamp magic, and immersive reading."

--Horror Bound

"Deeply immersive and darkly mysterious. Certain to be one of the year's standout horror reads."--Craig DiLouie, author of Episode Thirteen

"Drenched in dread and yearning, Red Rabbit Ghost is the kind of Gothic novel that you don't so much read as inhale. I loved it."--Kelly Link, author of The Book of Love

"Julian's queer, southern-gothic debut is a heady and atmospheric rumination on grief and belonging that will appeal to readers who enjoyed The Hollow Places, by T. Kingfisher, and Summer Sons, by Lee Mandelo, and is a perfect pick for fans of Twin Peaks."

--Booklist

"[An] auspicious debut... [The] story is borne along by well-shaded characters, whose complex inner lives abound with mysteries that can't all be easily solved. The result is a chilling dark fantasy that readers will savor."

--Publishers Weekly

"Every time I thought I had a handle on the deviously entertaining Red Rabbit Ghost, it slipped through my fingers and became something even more remarkable. Jen Julian weaves a dark spell with the bones of southern gothic storytelling, crackling (and often hilarious) dialogue, and gorgeous prose. To enter this haunted swamp of a novel is to lose yourself in cosmic mystery."--Andy Marino, author of The Swarm

"Red Rabbit Ghost is a terrifying delight that deftly weaves together the ordinary and supernatural horrors of life in a small town. Sharply contemporary while remaining true to its Southern gothic roots, Red Rabbit Ghost is the perfect blend of WhatsApp and witchcraft, dive bars and haunted houses. Once I started reading, I couldn't put it down!"--Gwen Kirby, author of Shit Cassandra Saw

"At once elegiac and deeply visceral, Red Rabbit Ghost is a bittersweet ode to all the ways in which a place can haunt us long after we've departed - and transform us when we return."--Georgia Summers, #1 International Bestselling Author of City of Stardust

About the Author

Jen Julian's previous publications include a short story collection, Earthly Delights and Other Apocalypses (Press 53, 2018), which was the winner of Press 53's Short Fiction Prize, as well as work in numerous literary journals, most recently a story in Third Coast Magazine, which received distinction in Best American Short Stories 2023. Jen holds a PhD in English from the University of Missouri and an MFA in Fiction from UNC Greensboro. A 2016 Clarion Alumna, she has contributed fiction both to the Sewanee Writers' Conference and the Texas Book Festival. These days, Jen lives in the mountains of North Georgia with her enormous ginger cat and teaches creative writing at Young Harris College.