Among the Lesser Gods: A Novel

by Margo Catts

Overview

For fans of authors like Barbara Kingsolver and Leif Enger, a stunning new voice in contemporary literary fiction.

"Tragedy and blessing. Leave them alone long enough, and it gets real hard to tell them apart."

Elena Alvarez is living a cursed life. From the deadly fire she accidentally set as a child, to her mother's abandonment, and now to an unwanted pregnancy, she knows better than most that small actions can have terrible consequences. Driven to the high mountains surrounding Leadville, Colorado by her latest bad decision, she's intent on putting off the future. Perhaps there she can just hide in her grandmother's isolated cabin and wait for something–anything–to make her next choice for her.

But instead of escape, she finds reminders of her own troubles reflected from every side–the recent widower and his two children adrift in a changed world, Elena's own mysterious family history, and the interwoven lives within the town itself. Bit by bit, Elena begins to reconsider her role in the tragedies she's held on to and the wounds she's refused to let heal.

But then, in a single afternoon, when threads of cause and effect tangle, Elena's fragile new peace is torn apart. It's only at the prospect of fresh loss and blame that she will discover the truth of the terrible burdens we take upon ourselves, the way tragedy and redemption are inevitably bound together–and how curses can sometimes lead to blessings, however disguised.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781948924184
Publisher:	Arcade
Publication date:	05/21/2019
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.20(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Margo Catts grew up in Los Angeles and has since lived in Utah, Indiana, and Colorado. After raising three children in the U.S., she and her husband moved to Saudi Arabia, where her Foreign Girl blog was well known in the expat community. Originally a freelance editor for textbooks and magazines, she has also done freelance writing for business, technical, and advertising clients, all the while working on her fiction. She is a contributing author to Once Upon an Expat. Among the Lesser Gods is her first novel. She currently lives in Texas.

What People are Saying About This

From the Publisher

Praise for Margo Catts's Among the Lesser Gods:

"If Anne Tyler turned her attention to the inter-generational intrigue of small town Colorado, it might look something like Margo Catts's arresting debut. Drenched in lyrical language and blade's edge observation with a heartbreaking secret at its core, Among the Lesser Gods is an essential American love story for our nomadic, unrooted times." — Carrie La Seur, author of The Home Place

"Margo Catts's compassionate observation of human nature shines through in her unforgettable characters, as she immerses the reader in lives that are torn by tragedy, challenged, and changed. This is a finely crafted and uplifting novel full of warmth, wisdom, and generosity of spirit." — Judith Allnatt, author of The Silk Road

"I didn't want the story to end, even as I was desperate to know what would happen next." — Tiffany Quay Tyson, author of Three Rivers

"Margo Catts has a sharp eye for the intricacies of family, love, and tragedy. In luminous prose, she deftly explores the impact of the past upon our lives. This is a heartfelt book that will break your heart at times and at others fill you with joy." — Daniel Robinson, author of After the Fire

"Smart, unsettling, and meticulously composed, Margot Catts’s debut novel affirms the power of narrative to redeem . . . The assaults of the past on the present, of badly buried guilt that keeps one from knowing how to live; the ways in which ordinary wisdom proceeds from the shadow of tragedy; the essentiality of family and community to all manner of healing – these are just a handful of the themes weaving through this unforgettable tale of accidental salvation." — Lynn Stegner, author of For All the Obvious Reasons

"In Among the Lesser Gods, Margo Catts writes with grace and insight about the deep wounds of childhood and how the mistakes we made as kids can haunt us as adults. With vivid, complex characters and seamless prose, Catts takes us on a journey into the dark heart of guilt and the discovery of redemption. The layers of this novel kept me greedily delving in until the last page." — Heather Skyler, author of Vegas Girls

Editorial Reviews

Praise for Margo Catts's Among the Lesser Gods:

"Catts's sincere tale of redemption, set in the late 1970s, is steeped in yearning for a communal-spirited heartland America where neighbors pitched in when a youngster's welfare was at stake and 'buffet items constituted big decisions.' . . . [Catts] lures the reader toward her sentimental denouement with the assurance of a seasoned storyteller and a radar-like feel for the pull and push of parent and offspring."—New York Times

"Beautifully written . . . Catts brings together tragedy and blessings with her talented writing. Readers will treasure this novel."—Romantic Times Book Reviews

"This uplifting novel . . . is about overcoming adversity and finding one's path–even if it's unconventional."—Booklist

"Catts's version of Leadville is spot-on. Her descriptions of the mining town tell the story of a small mountain town cloaked in myths, rumors, ghost stories—but above all, caring people . . . By dealing with the question of what happens to children who make life-altering mistakes, she deals with a number of big themes, including family, hope, redemption, and forgiveness . . . the exceptionally crafted story kept me reading to the end."—5280 Denver's Mile High Magazine

"If Anne Tyler turned her attention to the inter-generational intrigue of small town Colorado, it might look something like Margo Catts's arresting debut. Drenched in lyrical language and blade's edge observation with a heartbreaking secret at its core, Among the Lesser Gods is an essential American love story for our nomadic, unrooted times."—Carrie La Seur, author of The Home Place

"I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Margo Catts is the perfect guide to Leadville and to life, with a sharp eye for everyday details, a pitch-perfect ear for conversation, a sympathetic heart for her characters' travails, and a sure foot along their unpredictable paths. I'm so happy this book crossed my desk and will definitely be looking out for a second novel from Catts."—Brigid Pasulka, author of The Sun and Other Stars

"Margo Catts's compassionate observation of human nature shines through in her unforgettable characters, as she immerses the reader in lives that are torn by tragedy, challenged, and changed. This is a finely crafted and uplifting novel full of warmth, wisdom, and generosity of spirit."—Judith Allnatt, author of The Silk Factory

"I didn't want the story to end, even as I was desperate to know what would happen next."—Tiffany Quay Tyson, author of The Past is Never and Three Rivers

"Margo Catts has a sharp eye for the intricacies of family, love, and tragedy. In luminous prose, she deftly explores the impact of the past upon our lives. This is a heartfelt book that will break your heart at times and at others fill you with joy."—Daniel Robinson, author of After the Fire

"Smart, unsettling, and meticulously composed, Margot Catts's debut novel affirms the power of narrative to redeem . . . The assaults of the past on the present, of badly buried guilt that keeps one from knowing how to live; the ways in which ordinary wisdom proceeds from the shadow of tragedy; the essentiality of family and community to all manner of healing–these are just a handful of the themes weaving through this unforgettable tale of accidental salvation."—Lynn Stegner, author of For All the Obvious Reasons

"In Among the Lesser Gods, Margo Catts writes with grace and insight about the deep wounds of childhood and how the mistakes we made as kids can haunt us as adults. With vivid, complex characters and seamless prose, Catts takes us on a journey into the dark heart of guilt and the discovery of redemption. The layers of this novel kept me greedily delving in until the last page."—Heather Skyler, author of Vegas Girls

Praise for Margo Catts's Among the Lesser Gods:

"Catts's sincere tale of redemption, set in the late 1970s, is steeped in yearning for a communal-spirited heartland America where neighbors pitched in when a youngster's welfare was at stake and 'buffet items constituted big decisions.' . . . [Catts] lures the reader toward her sentimental denouement with the assurance of a seasoned storyteller and a radar-like feel for the pull and push of parent and offspring."—New York Times

"Beautifully written . . . Catts brings together tragedy and blessings with her talented writing. Readers will treasure this novel."—Romantic Times Book Reviews

"This uplifting novel . . . is about overcoming adversity and finding one's path–even if it's unconventional."—Booklist

"Catts's version of Leadville is spot-on. Her descriptions of the mining town tell the story of a small mountain town cloaked in myths, rumors, ghost stories—but above all, caring people . . . By dealing with the question of what happens to children who make life-altering mistakes, she deals with a number of big themes, including family, hope, redemption, and forgiveness . . . the exceptionally crafted story kept me reading to the end."—5280 Denver's Mile High Magazine

"If Anne Tyler turned her attention to the inter-generational intrigue of small town Colorado, it might look something like Margo Catts's arresting debut. Drenched in lyrical language and blade's edge observation with a heartbreaking secret at its core, Among the Lesser Gods is an essential American love story for our nomadic, unrooted times."—Carrie La Seur, author of The Home Place

"I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. Margo Catts is the perfect guide to Leadville and to life, with a sharp eye for everyday details, a pitch-perfect ear for conversation, a sympathetic heart for her characters' travails, and a sure foot along their unpredictable paths. I'm so happy this book crossed my desk and will definitely be looking out for a second novel from Catts."—Brigid Pasulka, author of The Sun and Other Stars

"Margo Catts's compassionate observation of human nature shines through in her unforgettable characters, as she immerses the reader in lives that are torn by tragedy, challenged, and changed. This is a finely crafted and uplifting novel full of warmth, wisdom, and generosity of spirit."—Judith Allnatt, author of The Silk Factory

"I didn't want the story to end, even as I was desperate to know what would happen next."—Tiffany Quay Tyson, author of The Past is Never and Three Rivers

"Margo Catts has a sharp eye for the intricacies of family, love, and tragedy. In luminous prose, she deftly explores the impact of the past upon our lives. This is a heartfelt book that will break your heart at times and at others fill you with joy."—Daniel Robinson, author of After the Fire

"Smart, unsettling, and meticulously composed, Margot Catts's debut novel affirms the power of narrative to redeem . . . The assaults of the past on the present, of badly buried guilt that keeps one from knowing how to live; the ways in which ordinary wisdom proceeds from the shadow of tragedy; the essentiality of family and community to all manner of healing–these are just a handful of the themes weaving through this unforgettable tale of accidental salvation."—Lynn Stegner, author of For All the Obvious Reasons

"In Among the Lesser Gods, Margo Catts writes with grace and insight about the deep wounds of childhood and how the mistakes we made as kids can haunt us as adults. With vivid, complex characters and seamless prose, Catts takes us on a journey into the dark heart of guilt and the discovery of redemption. The layers of this novel kept me greedily delving in until the last page."—Heather Skyler, author of Vegas Girls

From the Publisher

…[Catts] lures the reader toward her sentimental denouement with the assurance of a seasoned storyteller and a radar-like feel for the pull and push of parent and offspring.

The New York Times Book Review - Jan Stuart