The Unmothers

By: Leslie J. Anderson

Narrated by: Chelsea Stephens

In this emotionally raw and propulsive folk horror-mystery, a journalist goes to a small town and unravels a dark secret that the women have been keeping for generations.

Marshall is still trying to put the pieces together after the death of her husband. After she is involved in a terrible accident, her editor sends her to the small, backwards town of Raeford to investigate a clearly ridiculous rumor: that a horse has given birth to a healthy, human baby boy.

When Marshall arrives in Raeford, she finds an insular town that is kinder to the horses they are famous for breeding than to their own people. But when two horribly mangled bodies are discovered in a field—one a horse, one a human—she realizes that there might be a real story here.

As she’s pulled deeper into the town and its guarded people, her sense of reality is tipped on its head. Is she losing her grip? Or is this impossible story the key to a dark secret that has haunted the women of Raeford for generations?

Unbearably tense and utterly gripping, this atmospheric tale of female rage, bodily autonomy, and generational trauma hails the arrival of a masterful storyteller.

©2014 Leslie J. Anderson (P)2024 Blackstone Publishing

Critic reviews

GoodReads Pick

Paste Magazine Pick

Kinda fun, but meandering

Slow paced & not in the way that builds tension. Just in the way that you’re like “so when is the folk horror actually coming into play.”

Vivid descriptions and dark emotions

From the first line of the novel the story evokes incredibly powerful images of old things that lurk in the back of the mind and evoke old forgotten fears long since covered up and avoided being looked at.

Told through the lense of a main character that is quickly pulled into things both ancient and unnatural, this story made me feel connected to the characters and anxious for all parties involved. Beautifully written, this story elaborates upon the normal which then makes the small clues and unnatural things stand out all the more for how forbidding they feel, this book kept me glued to my phone the entire day listening to it.

A fantastic read, I cannot wait for more from this author.

Atmospheric Folk Horror

A must-listen for fans of folk horror. Poetic, tense, and enthralling. Great performance and a story that’s hard to walk away from.

Did I miss something?

I really don’t understand what the monster was supposed to do. Was it just that he was supposed to kill the people you hate? I don’t really understand what it had to do with the babies. Take the babies away? Turn them into horses? And under what conditions? I felt a little confused and disappointed because I felt like this book had a lot of potential.

Creepy

A creepy folk legend comes to life in this frightening tale. Got to type more in order to post.