Cauchemar

by Alexandra Grigorescu

Overview

Sunburst Award nominee

An eerie and romantic Southern gothic drama that is gripping, macabre, ominous, and creepy. “A stolen moment of pure fantasy.” — Scene Magazine

“Unease haunts this southern gothic … An intense debut bolstered by a powerful sense of place.” — The Globe and Mail

Gripping, fast-paced, gorgeously written, and with unforgettable characters, Cauchemar tells the story of twenty-year-old Hannah, who finds herself living alone on the edge of a Louisianan swamp after her adopted mother dies. Hannah soon falls in love with Callum, an easy-going boat captain and part-time musician. But then, her mysterious birth mother — cast out as a witch and rumored to commune with the dead — comes back into her life, and Hannah must confront what she’s been hiding from: the deadly spirits that haunt the swamp, the dark secrets of her past, and the nascent gift she possesses. Like the nightmares that plague Hannah, Cauchemar lingers and haunts.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781770412347
Publisher:	ECW Press
Publication date:	03/01/2015
Pages:	320
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.40(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Alexandra Grigorescu has a Master’s degree in creative writing from the University of Toronto, where she attended writing workshops led by George Elliott Clark and Jeff Parker and wrote her thesis under the guidance of Camilla Gibb. She works as a freelance writer and lives in Toronto, Ontario. This is her debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

03/09/2015
An eerie, otherworldly unease permeates Grigorescu's debut novel. From the moment 20-year-old Hannah discovers the body of Mae, her adoptive mother, her life shifts into a spirit realm from which Mae had long tried to shield her. Their secluded house on the marsh has been about separation and safety—separation from her birth mother, Christobelle, whose dealings with the dead are heavily feared and hated in town, and safety from those who would hurt Hannah based on the harm they believe Christobelle has done to their families. When Hannah meets Callum, a boat captain and musician, she finds a comfort and companionship that she sorely lacked, but as they grow closer and Hannah becomes pregnant, inexplicable events constantly occur around them. The cast of characters (whose trustworthiness the reader and Hannah should constantly question), the Louisiana setting, the unnatural goings-on in the marsh, and black magic's domineering presence all feed the novel's Southern gothic nature. Grigorescu grabs readers with a sense of foreboding at the start and builds intense tension as she leads them into a haunting place where the lines between dream and reality, living and dead, blur and hypnotize. Agent: Sam Hiyate, the Rights Factory. (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Alexandra Grigorescu’s debut is a straight-up old-school Southern Gothic. True Blood wishes it was this good.” — Jeff Parker, author of Where Bears Roam the Streets

“Alexandra Grigorescu works pure magic with the line, pulling proverbial rabbits from alligator hats and performing mind-bending enchantments upon every page. Like many of the spellbinding characters of Cauchemar, Grigorescu possesses a preternatural talent.” — Spencer Gordon, author of Cosmo

“It is well-written with just the right amount of suspense to keep the reader guessing what will happen to the characters until the very last page.” — The Book Binder’s Daughter

“A bayou setting, a dash of supernatural intrigue, and enough music and cookery to fill anyone’s plate … Goes well with fresh-caught fish, gumbo, and sweet tea.” — Bibliotica

“Grigorescu is a literary sorceress — who has possibly hung out with the Louisiana witches, because she evoked them something strong in this book.” — Bella’s Bookshelves

From the Publisher