The Gone Dead by Chanelle Benz Published by Ecco on June 25, 2019
Pages: 304
Genres: Mystery
Format: Hardcover
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An electrifying first novel from “a riveting new voice in American fiction” (George Saunders): A young woman returns to her childhood home in the American South and uncovers secrets about her father’s life and death
Billie James’s inheritance isn’t much: a little money and a shack in the Mississippi Delta. The house once belonged to her father, a renowned black poet who died unexpectedly when Billie was four years old. Though Billie was there when the accident happened, she has no memory of that day—and she hasn’t been back to the South since.
Thirty years later, Billie returns, but her father’s home is unnervingly secluded; her only neighbors are the McGees, the family whose history has been entangled with hers since the days of slavery. As Billie encounters the locals, she hears a strange rumor: that she herself went missing on the day her father died. As the mystery intensifies, she finds out that this forgotten piece of her past could put her in danger.
Inventive, gritty, and openhearted, The Gone Dead is an astonishing debut novel about race, justice, and memory that lays bare the long-concealed wounds of a family and a country.
About Chanelle Benz
Chanelle Benz has published short stories in Guernica, Granta.com, Electric Literature, The American Reader, Fence and The Cupboard, and is the recipient of an O. Henry Prize. Her story collection The Man Who Shot Out My Eye Is Dead was published in 2017 by Ecco. It was named a Best Book of 2017 by The San Francisco Chronicle and one of Electric Literature’s 15 Best Short Story Collections of 2017. It was also longlisted for the 2018 PEN/Robert Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction. She currently lives in Memphis where she teaches at Rhodes College.
What are you waiting on this Wednesday?
Oooh! This sounds like an interesting read! Great pick!
Ronyell (a.k.a Rabbitearsblog) recently posted…Waiting on Wednesday #117: Stain by A.G. Howard
I love the setting – the Mississippi Delta is not somewhere I have read about before… And I’m a sucker for a book which features historical mysteries a modern protagonist needs to uncover. This one sounds yummy!
Annie recently posted…Can’t-Wait Wednesday: Only A Breath Apart
Sounds really edge-or-your-seat worthy!
My Waiting on Wednesday
Louise @ Foxes & Fairy Tales recently posted…WOW: The Cerulean
I love books set in the South and this one sounds super intriguing. Thanks for sharing it!
Oooh, I hadn’t heard of this one, but it sounds really good. I’m adding it to my TBR list on Goodreads. Thanks for the heads-up!
Susan (Bloggin’ ’bout Books) recently posted…Top Ten Tuesday: Bright, Shiny, And New
Whoa, this sounds pretty intense! I love that cover😁
Tammy @ Books, Bones & Buffy recently posted…Future Fiction #2 – Cover Reveals & Newly Discovered SFF Books
You always have such interesting picks, Bonnie. This sounds intense. I also like the issues that it tackles. I will look out for this one. Hope things are looking up for you. Proud of you for making a move and for making changes to make your life more positive. Hang in there, you will make it, girl!
Thanks, Heidi! <3
Bonnie recently posted…Waiting on Wednesday – The Gone Dead: A Novel by Chanelle Benz
This sounds interesting, Great Pick!
Michelle @Because Reading recently posted…Waiting on Wednesday ~ Phoenix Feathers
Nice pick! Hope you enjoy. I’m a new blog subscriber. Here’s my Can’t Wait Wednesday if you’d like to stop by! Happy Reading 🙂
Molly@Cover2CoverCafe recently posted…Can’t Wait Wednesday 1-9-2018
Sounds interesting!
Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies recently posted…Shelf Control #151: 20th Century Ghosts by Joe Hill