DevilÕs Oak: Waking the Feminine Wound is a short story collection that features strong female characters against a backdrop of ghosts, fairy tales, and urban legends. The thirteen stories subvert the historical narrative of women in fairy tales, positioning them as bold and willing to step into the face of danger. ÒThe Braided VeilÓ features a young orphan in Victorian New Orleans who seeks revenge upon her motherÕs abuser. ÒDevilÕs OakÓ addresses the horrors of slavery through the eyes of a young girl who learns that her family owned human beings. ÒGood Little GirlsÓ takes readers back to childhood, when a sick girl explores her neighborÕs attic on a stormy day; she discovers more than she bargained for. ÒThe GameÓ features relational aggression in the 1990s in a Òmean girlsÓ style that takes a grizzly turn. ÒSelkie SkinÓ leans into Celtic lore, following a young pregnant girl who longs for freedom. ÒThe Ripper SocietyÓ reaches back through time to Jack the RipperÕs wife, who discovers his misdeeds and takes matters into her own hands. ÒShe Has Seen the WolfÓ is a longer story that connects to my novel, The Butterfly Circle; when a graduate student learns she is pregnant, she uncovers her familyÕs connected history to a haunted home for unwed mothers. In ÒRoots in the Cove,Ó a woman in an unhealthy relationship shapeshifts into a bear on a trip to Gatlinburg and finally finds her freedom. Both ÒMarsh GirlÓ and ÒCicadas in the SuburbsÓ explore the psychological challenges of suburban life, including postpartum depression and the longing for the magic of youth. In ÒHoney Tree,Ó a divorced woman seeks comfort from the bees, and in ÒCrow Woman,Ó a widow faces metaphorical death and is reborn. Finally, ÒGhost ApplesÓ is a retelling of Snow White from the perspective of the queen; she shapeshifts into a wolf to protect a young girl who has been attacked and seeks revenge upon her abuser.
Foreword written by Christopher Barzak, author of One for Sorrow, Monstrous Alterations, and A Voice Calling.
Editor and cover design by A.Miller.
Reviews
ÒThis is a standout collection, finely wrought, emotionally searing, and thematically unified. I would absolutely recommend it to readers. ItÕs a collection that belongs on the shelf next to contemporary literary heavyweights and will likely become a favorite for those who seek both beauty and bite in their fiction.Ó --Diane Sismour, author of novels, short stories, and screenplays, ghosts, fairy tales, magical realism, creative writing, myth, women, Mary Carroll Leoson| 9798999586407 | 300PAGES