A novel by Kirstin Allio

September 1, 2005 • 5 x 7.5 • 232 pages • 978-1-56689-175-2

A haunting tale of morality, murder, and the undertow of secrets in a small New Hampshire town.

Garner, New Hampshire is a town delineated by its Puritan ethics and its “Live Free or Die” mentality. In 1925, Garner’s economic prospects are in decline and a group of young, wealthy New Yorkers descend on Frances Giddens’s family farm for summer leisure. As Frances, a spirited, elusive girl born at the dawn of the twentieth century, is drawn to the romance the newcomers represent, darker forces are unleashed. When her body is found in rain-swollen Blood Brook, this deeply private community begins to unravel. As the story unfolds, Allio’s beautiful, atmospheric prose reveals the town’s hidden history and the fierce longings locked in the hearts of its citizens.

About the Author

Kirstin Allio was born in Maine in 1974. Her novel, Garner, was a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Award for First Fiction. She also received the National Book Foundation’s “5 Under 35” Award. Her short stories have appeared in a variety of publications. She lives in Seattle, WA, and has taught creative writing at Brown University and holds degrees from Brown and New York Universities.

Reviews

“An elegant, luminous, moving work of lyric prose. Every page shimmers.” —Carole Maso

“Fiercely imagined, alive with incandescent imagery, Kirstin Allio’s Garner is a memorable debut.” —John Burnham Schwartz