The publication of The Homecoming is only a little more than three months away! The lead-up to a book appearing in the world is always a strange way of experiencing time. It’s forever away…forever…then suddenly it’s TOMORROW. I’m excited about this one in particular because it touches on some issues that are important to me (and all of us, I think). I wanted to write a psychological thriller about family that also said something about larger issues, both of political and personal dimensions.
Part of the run-up to Publication Day (if you’re lucky) is seeing the blurbs that will appear on the book’s jacket. I’m always grateful when a colleague takes the time to read and say something insightful about the work. Over and above the promotional aspects, it eases some of the doubts one has before the thing you’ve been working on is well and truly “out there.” The first comment I saw for The Homecoming was from Lisa Gabriele, an amazing writer who has written highly varied kinds of books in her career, most recently neo-gothic suspense in The Winters, a highly recommended re-imaginging of duMaurier’s Rebecca. Check it out.
Here’s what Lisa had to say about The Homecoming:
“Part macabre family drama, part chilling dystopian nightmare, The Homecoming is the kind of story that could only spring from the darkest imagination. Pyper is a master of the artful thriller, and Belfountain, the mysterious mansion at the centre of this terrifying novel, might be one of the most eerily realized hellscapes ever. The last page is a jaw-dropper.” – Lisa Gabriele, bestselling author of The Winters