NATIONAL AWARD WINNER
The Book of Unknown Americans by Cristina Henriquez meets Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng in a captivating family drama with the intensity of An Untamed State by Roxane Gay.
"A beautifully written ... story. The work of a master craftsman." Grady Harp, Vine Voice
"Endlessly compelling. A fascinating fusion of forms." Writer's Digest
When Aidan Little Boy leaves his ailing mother's side to visit his sister on a peyote church property in South Dakota, he encounters a religious cult run by an apparently superhuman leader. Suddenly his nondescript life becomes tangled in a world that has grown disturbing and strange.
In a series of remarkable events, the ancient beings of Native American folktales are manipulated by people with strong connections to the parallel world of spirits and ghosts. Soon Aidan uncovers evidence that his sister and the rapidly growing congregation are in danger. He must understand these unknown powerful forces before the Reparation, a ceremony that will slaughter thousands of innocents.
This complex and surreal novel merges folktales, history, and the contemporary with magical realism in a hypnotically addictive original tale.
Comparable titles: Beneath the Scarlet Sky by Mark Sullivan, The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans, American Gods by Neil Gaiman, 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami, Blindsighted by Karin Slaughter, I'm Watching You by Karen Rose, Night by Elie Wiesel, Killers of the Flower Moon and The Lost City of Z by David Grann, The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman, The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood, They Both Die at the End by Adam Silvera, Riding Lessons by Sara Gruen, The Immortalists by Chloe Benjamin, The Round House by Louise Erdich, Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh, We Are Called to Rise by Laura McBride, Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler, The Turner House by Angela Flourney, Plainsong by Kent Haruf, Liam Taggart & Catherine Lockhart by Ronald H. Balson, and Winter's Tale by Mark Helprin.
Honorable Mention, Writer's Digest 2016 Ebook Award
Shortlisted for Three National Awards
Laine Cunningham's books are included in the fantastic fiction found on "books to read" and "good books to read" lists curated on online book review sites. Bookworms have compared her stories to bestselling books that garner recommended reading notes by bookstore employees. Browse the full selection of her fiction and nonfiction titles at Amazon books, Books-A-Million, Barnes & Noble, and your local independent bookstore.
Author Biography:
After Laine Cunningham's debut novel manuscript won a national literary award, Jack Scovil became her agent. Mr. Scovil worked with Norman Mailer, Carl Sagan, Morris West and Arthur C. Clark. Their ten-year relationship ended when he passed. Laine then developed a new fiction voice that resulted in On a Rush of Silent Wings, a literary black comedy dealing with income inequality and the illusions we choose to believe. Currently she is developing an epic historical novel set in Europe during the scientific revolution before the Enlightenment. Her novels include The Family Made of Dust: A Novel of Loss and Rebirth in the Australian Outback, which won two national awards. Beloved, a sensual noir thriller, follows an FBI agent who must access the dark power of the goddess Kali to bring down two serial killers. In Reparation, a Lakota Sioux man must save a sister and his lover from a sinister peyote cult. Laine's goal for her fiction is to spur readers into dialog about our society and the parallels found in history. When individuals recognize how large issues build on multiple small elements, many of which were taken up by individuals just like them, they recognize that everyone can foment change. As a publishing consultant with twenty years of experience, she has written Writing While Female or Black or Gay: Diverse Voices in Publishing. Also look for Seven Sisters: Spiritual Messages from Aboriginal Australia. More information can be found on LaineCunningham.com and WritersResource.us. A long-time writer and graphic designer, Leya decided to combine her passions and begin creating book covers. You can learn more at: www.angeleya.com/book-cover-design/
