Ashes, Ashes

by Fredrick Soukup

Overview

"Unflinching acknowledgement of society's unseen. You may be uncomfortable watching, but you won't look away." David R. Roth, author of The Femme Fatale Hypothesis

Dorian is white-knuckle sober, carving out a life for himself in Minnesota's Northwoods. He owes his reformation to the wisdom and love of Miss Bonnie, a foster mother to him and so many others, though painful memories of his tumultuous childhood and adolescence have kept him from returning to thank her. After learning of her sudden passing, he resolves to pay his respects. What he discovers back home, however, alters the course of his life forever.

Upon his return, Dorian reunites with Heath, a brother bound to Dorian not by blood, but by the years they spent together under Miss Bonnie's roof. When Heath unburdens himself of a horrifying secret-that the local police covered up her murder-Dorian sets out to uncover the truth and bring the killer to justice.

Laying bare the struggles foster children experience in their pursuit of identity, belonging, and love, Ashes, Ashes is a unique and essential tale.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9783988320551
Publisher:	Vine Leaves Press
Publication date:	04/16/2024
Pages:	252
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.63(d)

About the Author

Fredrick Soukup's works include Bliss (2020) and Blood Up North (2022). He's been named an IPPY Bronze Medalist, a semifinalist for the American Short Fiction Prize, and a finalist for both the Erik Hoffer Book Award and the Minnesota Book Award. Blood Up North won the NYC Big Book Award for Literary Fiction and Ashes, Ashes was longlisted for the Petrichor Prize. He lives in Saint Paul with his brilliant wife, Ashley, and daughters/muses, Clare and Nora. Visit: fredrick-soukup.com

Editorial Reviews

"Soukup conducts a chorus of seductively unreliable first-person voices to relate a heartbreaking coming of age... parable that delves into the depths of human despair and celebrates the redeeming power of compassion. Ashes, Ashes is unflinching acknowledgement of society's unseen. You may be uncomfortable watching, but you won't look away." David R. Roth, author of The Femme Fatale Hypothesis

"Soukup perfectly captures how growing up with trauma leads to harsh choices and, ultimately, a kind of grace." Dan Kopcow, author of Prior Futures and Madcap Serenade

"Fredrick Soukup returns to familiar territory-rural Minnesota and its disenfranchised-capturing the abject despair of foster care youth while at the same time offering up a heartbreaking murder mystery." Janet Goldberg, author of The Proprietor's Song

"Soukup offers up a heartfelt and genuine slice of life. His characters jump from the page with crackling dialog that transports the reader into an intoxicating, though often terrifying, world. Truly gripping." Steve Zettler, author of Two for the Money and Careless Love

"Edgy. Smart. Exhilarating. This breathtaking thriller of small town intrigue demonstrates the heartbreak and redemption that can rise from the ashes of a pillaged youth." Martha Engber, author of Winter Light

From the Publisher