White Horse
A Novel
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3.0 • 1 Rating
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
"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
Erika T. Wurth's White Horse is a gritty, vibrant 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, a bar called White Horse. There, she tries her best to ignore her past and the questions surrounding her mother who abandoned her when she was just two years old.
But soon after her cousin Debby brings her a traditional bracelet that once belonged to Kari’s mother, Kari starts seeing disturbing visions of her mother and a mysterious creature. When the visions refuse to go away, Kari must uncover what really 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…
APPLE BOOKS REVIEW
An ancient artifact looms at the center of this page-turning ghost story from rising horror star Erika T. Wurth. Kari James is a hard-drinking, sharp-tongued waitress in a Native American community in Denver. Kari lives in the moment, trying to avoid thinking about her past—especially the mother who abandoned her as a child. But that all changes when her cousin gives her a bracelet, an heirloom from her mother’s ancestors, that gives Kari visions of an alarming and mysterious world. Wurth blends traditional horror tropes with Native American lore, creating a gothic tale for the punk rock generation. White Horse is inspired, brilliant, and unsettling.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Fans of supernatural thrillers and classic Stephen King will devour this tale of ghosts, heavy metal, and an urban Indigenous woman reckoning with the tragedies of the past from Wurth (Crazy Horse's Girlfriend). Kari James's mother disappeared just two days after Kari was born, and Kari, of Apache and Chickasaw decent, has lived her life angry as a result, believing her mother abandoned her. Having left hard drugs behind after another tragic loss, Kari now just wants to be left alone to enjoy her music and a drink at the White Horse bar in peace. As her aunt Squeaker says, she was "never good at facing up to things." Which makes it all the harder when Kari's cousin Debby presents her with a bracelet that belonged to Kari's mother—and that brims with violent energy. The bracelet causes Kari to see the ghost of her mother—screaming, bloody, and crying for help—and she wonders for the first time if her mother's disappearance wasn't all it appeared to be. Soon, Kari's on a quest to uncover what really happened. This atmospheric tale brims with monsters and the ghosts of both past and present—from supernatural visions to everyday racist microaggressions. Wurth's decadently blunt prose makes it easy to smell the smoke in the air and hear the heavy metal lyrics about memory and identity. This fresh take on the ghost story is sure to wow.
