Description
"Do love stories often end this way?" "Why do you think it's over?"
Shesheshen has made a fatal mistake for a monster: she's fallen in love.
Shesheshen is a shapeshifter, who usually resides as an amorphous lump in the swamp of a ruined manor, unless impolite monster hunters invade intent on murdering her. Through a chance encounter, she meets a different kind of human, warm-hearted Homily, who mistakes Shesheshen for a human in turn.
Shesheshen is loath to deceive, but just as she's about to confess her true identity, Homily reveals she's hunting the shapeshifting monster that supposedly cursed her family. Shesheshen didn't curse anyone, but to give them both a chance at happiness, she must figure out why Homily's twisted family thinks she did. And the bigger challenge remains: surviving her toxic in-laws long enough to learn to build a life with the woman she loves.
A glorious, funny, occasionally slightly violent love story which asks us to examine - and re-examine - the meaning of legacy, family and love.
About the Author
John Wiswell won the Nebula Award for his short story "Open House on Haunted Hill" and won the Locus Award for his novelette "That Story Isn't The Story." He has also been a finalist for the Hugo Award, World Fantasy Award, British Fantasy Award, and Locus Award. His work has appeared in acclaimed publications like Uncanny Magazine, The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Tor.com, Nightmare Magazine, and others, as well as numerous podcasts, including LeVar Burton Reads, NoSleep, Podcastle, and Escape Pod. He was most recently a finalist of the Hugo Award a second time in 2022 for Best Novelette. You can find him online at johnwiswell.blogspot.com and on Twitter at @Wiswell.
Reviews
Cozy and charming and made my heart grow three sizes which cannot be healthy * Goodreads reviewer on "Open House on Haunted Hill" *
As much as I am a cynical, non-hugging beast of a human, I am also a big emotional softie and this almost made me tear up a bit. * Goodreads reviewer on "Open House on Haunted Hill" *
To take something normally so frightening and evil and turn it into the most endearing, lovable, cuddle-worthy (if one could cuddle a house) characters is nothing short of miraculous. And yet, it's completely this author's jam. * Goodreads reviewer on "Open House on Haunted Hill" *
Like a warm hug. * Goodreads reviewer on "Open House on Haunted Hill" *
Book Information
ISBN 9781529431339
Author John Wiswell
Format Hardback
Page Count 400
Imprint Jo Fletcher Books
Publisher Quercus Publishing
