The Wicker King - by K Ancrum (Paperback)

About the Book

Best friends August and Jack struggle to cope as one spirals into madness.

Book Synopsis

The Wicker King is a psychological young adult thriller that follows two friends struggling as one spirals into madness.

Jack once saved August's life . . . now can August save him?

August is a misfit with a pyro streak and Jack is a golden boy on the varsity rugby team--but their intense friendship goes way back. Jack begins to see increasingly vivid hallucinations that take the form of an elaborate fantasy kingdom creeping into the edges of the real world. With their parents' unreliable behavior, August decides to help Jack the way he always has--on his own. He accepts the visions as reality, even when Jack leads them on a quest to fulfill a dark prophecy.

August and Jack alienate everyone around them as they struggle with their sanity, free falling into the surreal fantasy world that feels made for them. In the end, each one must choose his own truth.

Written in vivid micro-fiction with a stream-of-consciousness feel and multimedia elements, K. Ancrum's The Wicker King touches on themes of mental health and explores a codependent relationship fraught with tension, madness and love.

An Imprint Book

Review Quotes

"Ancrum delves into the blurry space between reality and madness. A haunting and provocative read that will keep teens riveted." --School Library Journal

"Teen fans of moody psychological horror will be entranced." --Booklist

"Give this to readers who like complex, experimental fictions about intense relationships that acquire mythic resonance." --The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

"An eerie piece of realistic fiction whose characters revel in intense emotions." --Kirkus Reviews

"An eerie and mesmerizing thriller that questions the space where reality and perception overlap, The Wicker King is a spine-tingling read that will have you riveted." --Caleb Roerhrig, author of Last Seen Leaving and White Rabbit

About the Author

K. Ancrum grew up in Chicago Illinois, under the illusory rigor of the Chicago Public School system. She attended Dominican University to study Fashion Merchandizing, but was lured into getting an English degree after spending too many nights experimenting with hard literary criticism and hanging out with unsavory types, like poetry students. Currently, she lives in Andersonville and writes books at work when no one is looking. The Wicker King is her first novel.