White Horse: A Novel

by Erika T. Wurth Narrated by Tonantzin Carmelo

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

We were knocked over by Erika T. Wurth’s White Horse. Protagonist Kari James’s world is rocked and shook to its core and instead of running from the trouble (and ghosts!), she dives in headfirst. The same will be said of your leap into this formidable novel and its blend of horror and mystery.

"The audiobook narrated by Tonantzin Carmelo is enthralling." - Buzzfeed

"Narrator Tonantzin Carmelo's portrayal of Kari imbues her with a rebellious and tenacious attitude that makes her immediately likable." - Library Journal

Erika T. Wurth's White Horse is a gritty, vibrant debut novel about an Indigenous woman who must face her past when she discovers a bracelet haunted by her mother's spirit.

Some people are haunted in more ways than one.

Kari James, Urban Native, is a fan of heavy metal, ripped jeans, Stephen King novels, and dive bars. She spends most of her time at her favorite spot in Denver, the White Horse. When her cousin Debby finds an old family bracelet that once belonged to Kari's mother, it inadvertently calls up both her mother's ghost and a monstrous entity, and her willful ignorance about her past is no longer sustainable...

Haunted by visions of her mother and hunted by this mysterious creature, Kari must search for what happened to her mother all those years ago. Her father, permanently disabled from a car crash, can't help her. Her Auntie Squeaker seems to know something but isn't eager to give it all up at once. Debby's anxious to help, but her controlling husband keeps getting in the way. Kari's journey toward a truth long denied by both her family and law enforcement forces her to confront her dysfunctional relationships, thoughts about a friend she lost in childhood, and her desire for the one thing she's always wanted but could never have.

A Macmillan Audio production from Flatiron Books.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

Praise for White Horse by Erika T. Wurth

“Twisty and electric. . . . Wurth handles the suspense with an expert hand. The novel unfolds in short, tense chapters that glide between past and present, and often torque into hair-raising turns.” —New York Times Book Review (Editor’s Choice)

“An edgy delight. . . .Combines potboiler beats with an off-kilter, dreamlike atmosphere. . . . White Horse distinguishes a gritty new punkish outsider voice in American horror.” —Esquire

“Excellent.” —Tommy Orange, on The Today Show

“Superb. . . . An easy, fast read that almost demands to be devoured in a single sitting. . . . [Wurth] has pushed against narratives that perpetuate Native American clichés, which makes this a must-read.” —NPR.org

“Crack open a cold one, pull on a well-worn band T-shirt and get ready for some spine tingles.” —Good Housekeeping

“Erika T. Wurth busts onto the writing scene like a wrecking ball. . . . Glorious. . . . Creepy.” —Colorado Sun

“Propulsive. . . .Enthralling.” —BuzzFeed

“A debut ghost story that will knock your socks off.” —Ms. Magazine

“Stylish. . . . Old-school Stephen King fans, get on board.” —Philadelphia Inquirer

“Gritty, haunting, understated, and beautiful.” —CrimeReads

“A gritty, vibrant debut.” —Nerd Daily

“An absolute stunner.” —Katy Hays, bestselling author of The Cloisters

“It’s metal to the end, it’s Denver to the core, it’s Native without trying–there’s blood, there’re roller coasters, and there’re about a thousand cigarettes smoked. What else can you ask for in a novel?” —Stephen Graham Jones, New York Times bestselling author of The Only Good Indians

"Family ties are made from rusty barbed wire in White Horse, a book that feels as welcome as a dark bar on a hot afternoon, and whose story burns like a shot of rotgut whiskey." —Grady Hendrix, bestselling author of The Final Girl Support Group

“This ghost story is a perfect example of new wave horror that will also satisfy fans of classic Stephen King.” —Silvia Moreno-Garcia, author of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau and Mexican Gothic

"An unapologetic world of dive bars, dark secrets, and true life horrors. I became completely enthralled. . . . Wurth [is] an exciting new voice in literary horror." —Rebecca Roanhorse, New York Times bestselling author of Black Sun

Library Journal

★ 09/01/2022

DEBUT Past demons beget present terrors in this chilling, well-paced debut that's perfect for fans of Stephen Graham Jones and Catriona Ward. Abandoned by her mother when she was just two days old, Kari James is a tough-talking, rough-around-the-edges Indigenous woman who loves cigarettes and heavy metal and has more questions about her past than she cares to acknowledge. She is, however, unable to avoid the mystery of her childhood when her cousin and confidant, Debby, presents her with a bracelet of her mother's, hoping to facilitate a connection that Kari has for so long been without. Decorated with unfamiliar symbols, the bracelet soon conjures not only the ghost of Kari's mother but a beast reeking of death. Readers will be enthralled and as desperate as Kari for answers, as Wurth's story continues at a steady, bone-chilling pace and as Kari faces not only her mother's demons but her own as well. VERDICT With tangible characters, insightful dialogue, and the horror and painful beauty of discovering one's truth, Wurth's debut is must-read horror with a big, bleeding heart.—Emily Vinci

Kirkus Reviews

2022-08-02
An Indigenous woman encounters the supernatural when she touches her missing mother’s old bracelet and raises a monster.

Kari James would be the first to tell you she’s not a traditional Indigenous woman. “I was more of a work at the bar, go to the bar, thrash at a heavy metal concert kind of Indian than a powwow Indian,” she admits. In her mid-30s, Kari lives a disorderly life. She cares for her disabled father but still revels in late nights drinking and smoking at her favorite dive bar, White Horse, and enjoying the music of headbanger Dave Mustaine, the horror novels of Stephen King, and the occasional random hookup. She's mostly ignored the spiritual aspects of her Apache and Chickasaw ancestors, preferring a good party instead. Then her cousin Debby finds an old family bracelet that once belonged to Kari’s mother, who'd vanished when Kari was a baby. Kari has always assumed her mother abandoned her, but when she touches the bracelet, she experiences violent, troubling visions about the past and her family, and a dangerous monster is unleashed. Set in and around Denver and its neighboring communities, this is a unique, dark twist on the modern ghost story that deftly blends an understanding of the mysticism of Indigenous culture with the horrors of poverty, abuse, and addiction. Sometimes the plot feels a bit chaotic, but the tumult mirrors Kari’s roiling emotions. She’s haunted not only by her mother’s disappearance, but also by the death of her best friend from an overdose, a tragedy Kari believes she could have prevented. As Kari fumbles toward the truth about her family and faces off against a nightmarish entity, Wurth—who is of Apache/Chickasaw/Cherokee descent—paints a compelling portrait of friendship, love, and the quest for self-respect, offering a fierce and generous vision of contemporary Native American life.

An engrossing modern horror story that blends the power of Indigenous spiritualism with earthly terrors.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940175589840
Publisher:	Macmillan Audio
Publication date:	11/01/2022
Edition description:	Unabridged

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