THE UNMOTHERS by Leslie J. Anderson – Review

I received this book for free from the Publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Unmothers by Leslie J. Anderson
Published by Quirk Books on August 6 2024
Genres: Adult, folk horror
Pages: 320
Format: ARC
Source: Publisher
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The nitty-gritty: Weird and unsettling, The Unmothers explores folklore, belief, pregnancy and grief, a story told in flawless prose, dripping with dread.

The Unmothers was not what I expected at all, but I really ended up loving it. I’ll admit I got off to a shaky start, because so many different characters are introduced, and it takes a while to see how they’re all connected. But boy, this story got under my skin! This is a beautifully written tale with horses, small town secrets, and lots of heartbreaking emotion, and while it’s being categorized as “horror,” I would say it’s much closer to a literary thriller, although there are some subtle supernatural elements. Anderson’s themes of motherhood, pregnancy (and unwanted pregnancy) and making personal choices are poignantly written, and I loved the way she combined them with folklore.

Carolyn Marshall is a journalist who has been sent to the small town of Raeford to investigate the strange rumor of a horse that gave birth to a human baby. When she arrives, she finds a decaying town shrouded in secrets and townspeople who are reluctant to tell her what happened. As Marshall begins to search for the truth, she discovers some disturbing rumors: young girls who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant are told there’s a way to “fix” the problem, something that involves a certain old tree in the woods, arcane symbols, and a sacrifice. But far more sinister than that is a man named John Daily, the local drug dealer who seems to have everyone in town under his thumb. 

Marshall is confronted with way more questions than answers: how was baby Phillip born? Is Roswell, the sixteen-year-old boy who cares for him, really the father? And who is the mother? The answers are buried under generations of town secrets and mysteriously tied to the town’s horses.

This is one of those stories that grows on you the more you read. At first I struggled a bit with all the many characters and points of view, and it’s a slow burn mystery that takes its time. But once all the various threads start to come together, it’s nearly impossible to stop reading. Leslie J. Anderson perfectly captures the feel of a small, insular town with a seedy underbelly. On the surface, Raeford is home to several prominent horse ranches, where little girls grow up with a love for all things horses and riding. But the belief that there is some kind of horse god in the forest who will help girls with unwanted pregnancies gives the town an ominous feel. Throughout the story there are glimpses of this creature, but it’s never clear whether it’s real or not. It’s as though the townspeople believed it into existence, and I loved not only the idea, but the fact that this otherworldly element doesn’t feel quite real.

Alongside this storyline we learn about John Daily and his shady dealings in town. Some of the characters are related to him, like his wife Agatha and son Roswell, and even those that aren’t are entwined with him in terrible ways and are unable to escape his power and influence. Daily was the true monster of the story, a man I loved to hate.

Anderson explores several hard-hitting themes, which are seamlessly incorporated into the story. First, Marshall is grieving the recent loss of her husband Joseph and having a pretty rough time dealing with it. Her editor gave her the Raeford assignment as a way to get her out of town and hopefully kick start the healing process, but of course all her memories of Joseph follow her there. Most of the chapters are told from Marshall’s perspective, so we see how she begins to interact with various people in town, and by trying to solve the mystery of baby Phillip’s birth, she gradually comes to terms with her own grief. Marshall was a fantastic character, relatable, caring and curious, and she’s determined to get to the bottom of what’s going on in Raeford.

And of course the other main theme is right there in the title, the theme of motherhood. This is a fiercely feminist story, where women are given a magical solution to deal with unwanted pregnancies. I won’t spoil all the details, but I was fascinated by Anderson’s weird ideas and the complex rituals involved. This is where the “horror” part of the story comes in, so squeamish readers beware. The word “unmothers” takes on deeper meaning when you think about it in this context, and it’s honestly the perfect title for this story.

I also loved the horse elements, which are authentic and detailed. The author is a horse person herself, and her love of that lifestyle shines through in her descriptions. I went through my own horse phase when I was little and even took riding lessons, so this book brought back lots of memories.

The tension increases until the final, violent climax. Anderson infuses her story with so much emotion, and the ending was powerful and redemptive. Readers who love literary horror with a slow burn mystery definitely need to pick up The Unmothers. I’m very curious to see what Leslie J. Anderson does next.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.