Marshall feels like she is losing her grip on reality. In the wake of a traumatic event in her own life, she finds herself in on a bizarre work project in a small rural town chasing a story that, while fantastical, might actually have some teeth. Has a horse really given birth to a human baby? As she bears witness to a small town's strange culture and reaction to a grizzly murder, it becomes clear that something sinister is at play.

As someone drawn to literary fiction, I appreciated how heavy themes of generational trauma and sexism are explore through symbolism and mythology. Bodily autonomy, for example, is a huge theme in this book. Yet, while that topic and its subsequent female rage was found throughout the story, it was done so in a that felt interlaced as opposed to stamped all over the page. It reminded me of God of the Woods by Liz Moore, or Our Wives Under the Sea by Julia Armfield - this book works at a slower pace, featuring a character-driven story, with a driving plotline underpinning the narrative. For that reason, I would classify this as a literary horror.

Overall a great read, and one that I will absolutely be highlighting on my Bookstagram.

Leslie J. Anderson's *The Unmothers* is an absolutely mesmerizing debut that lingers long after the last page. This haunting folk horror is set in a small, insular rural town, where the atmosphere is thick with tension and dread. Anderson's writing is masterful—suspenseful, evocative, and deeply atmospheric, pulling you into a world where generational trauma and small-town politics collide with chilling supernatural elements.

What starts as a seemingly quirky premise—a horse giving birth to a human—quickly unravels into a complex and devastating narrative that explores themes of womanhood, body autonomy, and the raw power of female rage. Anderson's storytelling is fluid and compelling, with multiple POVs that are expertly handled, adding depth and perspective to the story without ever losing its momentum. The claustrophobic, almost suffocating feel of the town is brilliantly portrayed, making the reader feel every ounce of the characters' anguish and fear.

This isn't just a horror novel—it's a slow-burn, introspective thriller that delves into the darkest corners of grief, religion, and identity. Anderson has crafted a tale that is not only a gripping read but also a powerful commentary on the complexities of womanhood. *The Unmothers* is a must-read for anyone who loves horror with substance and emotional depth. Five stars, without a doubt!

I love folk horror stories and this one was no exception. Written in an almost poetic manner the at times barebones plot is elevated by the exquisite and sharp language.

The story is a folk horror set in a rural run down horse industry town where Marshall a reporter is sent to do a story on an unlikely miracle. A horse giving birth to a human baby!
What Marshall finds in this town is more than she bargained for and will change her life forever.

What I didn’t love : This story is very slow and I wouldn’t call it horror per se. I was also sold this book on the idea it was a female rage story and I don’t feel that’s accurate either.

What I loved: Basically everything thing else. First and foremost the writing, this book has some of the best and most beautiful writing I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. I’m not someone who annotates or tabs books much if ever but this book had me underlining and tabbing all throughout.
While the story was a slow burn it managed to keep me interested the whole ride with mood and atmosphere that I can only liken to that sense of trepidation and excitement that comes from watching a large storm rolling in.
While it’s not a “scary” book it does have a solid folk creature to explore and I highly recommend to anyone who likes interesting stories that burn beautifully all be it slowly.

This book managed to keep me guessing, which is no small feat. Anderson is a real wordsmith, infusing characters and events with poetry and emotion without venturing into purple prose. Her ability to create an atmosphere and fully fleshed out characters meant that even when the action flagged, it was never boring. Definitely recommend!

Leslie J. Anderson's The Unmothers is a compelling blend of folk horror and mystery set in the isolated town of Raeford, where we follow Marshall, a grief-stricken journalist investigating an impossible claim of a horse giving birth to a human child. What begins as a seemingly absurd assignment quickly unravels into a dark exploration of small-town secrets and generational trauma. In Raeford, Anderson creates a palpable sense of unease; the fog-shrouded landscape becomes a character in itself, its oppressive atmosphere mirroring the weight of the towns' inhabitants' unspoken burdens. The novel explores deeper themes, including bodily autonomy and the unique challenges women face in rural communities. . Anderson tackles these issues with sensitivity and nuance, grounding her supernatural tale in very real, contemporary concerns. The characters, despite the story's bizarre premise, feel remarkably authentic. Their struggles and motivations resonate deeply, making the horror elements all the more impactful. As the narrative progresses, the pervasive fog of Raeford seems to seep into the story itself. While this contributes to the overall atmosphere, it occasionally makes the plot feel hazy, particularly in the final act. That said, this small issue doesn't really diminish the book's overall impact. I hesitate to slot "The Unmothers" into any single category. While it could be described as "horror for horse girls," this label doesn't do justice to the breadth of Anderson's vision. It's a thought-provoking tale that will appeal to anyone drawn to stories of small-town mysteries and the often unsettling nature of human relationships.

I was so excited to try a good horror book, but unfortunately, The Unmothers felt unnecessarily wordy and the plot fell completely flat. While intriguing initially, the execution was poor.

I really enjoyed this folk horror story--I was hooked from beginning to end. The setting, the characters and the plot were all great and really compelling. What a great story!

Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned

Really a great folk horror story! Kept me on my toes throughout the whole thing.

Marshall is a reported and sent to a small town to get the story about a far-fetched rumor that a human baby was born from a horse. She knows she is really sent there to get away from the city and grieve the loss of her husband. What she finds is murder and dark secrets the women of the town are keeping.

I love reading horror that is connected to folklore of a small community or group of people. The folklore in this story is very original and made a very fascinating story. The only thing not making this a great read for me is the main character. For some reason I never connected with Marshall. I tried to grieve with her through her trauma and feel her uneasiness as she tried to fit in with the small town residents. She just was not relatable for me.

I couldn’t get into this book. The story was a bit disjointed and I couldn’t get invested in it. I liked the premise just not the execution

This is the driest book I think I have read for 2024

Marshall’s husband died and to help her cope. Her boss sends her on a journalist assignment to a small town where strange things are happening.

Maybe I am too dumb to read this book but I understood nothing. I felt like nothing was happening. Marshall was going there to write a story about a horse giving birth to human baby but nothing really happens until 80-90% of the book. It is the slowest burn in a horror book I have ever read.

There is so many POVs with little to no explanation on who or why these people are involved with the storyline. I felt like this book was all over the place.

The last 90% of the book was the best part.

I was wanting spooky, dark with old folklore and I did not get that.

Genre: Horror
APK: Ebook
Pages: 323
Rating: ⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone

The nitty-gritty: Weird and unsettling, The Unmothers explores folklore, belief, pregnancy and grief, a story told in flawless prose, dripping with dread.

The Unmothers was not what I expected at all, but I really ended up loving it. I’ll admit I got off to a shaky start, because so many different characters are introduced, and it takes a while to see how they’re all connected. But boy, this story got under my skin! This is a beautifully written tale with horses, small town secrets, and lots of heartbreaking emotion, and while it’s being categorized as “horror,” I would say it’s much closer to a literary thriller, although there are some subtle supernatural elements. Anderson’s themes of motherhood, pregnancy (and unwanted pregnancy) and making personal choices are poignantly written, and I loved the way she combined them with folklore.

Carolyn Marshall is a journalist who has been sent to the small town of Raeford to investigate the strange rumor of a horse that gave birth to a human baby. When she arrives, she finds a decaying town shrouded in secrets and townspeople who are reluctant to tell her what happened. As Marshall begins to search for the truth, she discovers some disturbing rumors: young girls who find themselves unexpectedly pregnant are told there’s a way to “fix” the problem, something that involves a certain old tree in the woods, arcane symbols, and a sacrifice. But far more sinister than that is a man named John Daily, the local drug dealer who seems to have everyone in town under his thumb. 

Marshall is confronted with way more questions than answers: how was baby Phillip born? Is Roswell, the sixteen-year-old boy who cares for him, really the father? And who is the mother? The answers are buried under generations of town secrets and mysteriously tied to the town’s horses.

This is one of those stories that grows on you the more you read. At first I struggled a bit with all the many characters and points of view, and it’s a slow burn mystery that takes its time. But once all the various threads start to come together, it’s nearly impossible to stop reading. Leslie J. Anderson perfectly captures the feel of a small, insular town with a seedy underbelly. On the surface, Raeford is home to several prominent horse ranches, where little girls grow up with a love for all things horses and riding. But the belief that there is some kind of horse god in the forest who will help girls with unwanted pregnancies gives the town an ominous feel. Throughout the story there are glimpses of this creature, but it’s never clear whether it’s real or not. It’s as though the townspeople believed it into existence, and I loved not only the idea, but the fact that this otherworldly element doesn’t feel quite real.

Alongside this storyline we learn about John Daily and his shady dealings in town. Some of the characters are related to him, like his wife Agatha and son Roswell, and even those that aren’t are entwined with him in terrible ways and are unable to escape his power and influence. Daily was the true monster of the story, a man I loved to hate.

Anderson explores several hard-hitting themes, which are seamlessly incorporated into the story. First, Marshall is grieving the recent loss of her husband Joseph and having a pretty rough time dealing with it. Her editor gave her the Raeford assignment as a way to get her out of town and hopefully kick start the healing process, but of course all her memories of Joseph follow her there. Most of the chapters are told from Marshall’s perspective, so we see how she begins to interact with various people in town, and by trying to solve the mystery of baby Phillip’s birth, she gradually comes to terms with her own grief. Marshall was a fantastic character, relatable, caring and curious, and she’s determined to get to the bottom of what’s going on in Raeford.

And of course the other main theme is right there in the title, the theme of motherhood. This is a fiercely feminist story, where women are given a magical solution to deal with unwanted pregnancies. I won’t spoil all the details, but I was fascinated by Anderson’s weird ideas and the complex rituals involved. This is where the “horror” part of the story comes in, so squeamish readers beware. The word “unmothers” takes on deeper meaning when you think about it in this context, and it’s honestly the perfect title for this story.

I also loved the horse elements, which are authentic and detailed. The author is a horse person herself, and her love of that lifestyle shines through in her descriptions. I went through my own horse phase when I was little and even took riding lessons, so this book brought back lots of memories.

The tension increases until the final, violent climax. Anderson infuses her story with so much emotion, and the ending was powerful and redemptive. Readers who love literary horror with a slow burn mystery definitely need to pick up The Unmothers. I’m very curious to see what Leslie J. Anderson does next.

Big thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy.

this was pretty boring to me. i was expecting there more weird/ horror things going on. but i normally find detective stories to be pretty slow and the mc was essentially the same type of character here as a journalist

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me an e-ARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I was immediately drawn to this book from the first chapter. I mean who wouldn't when you open with a horse giving birth to a human child?? I felt like the characters were well developed and flawed which is so important to me with books. I want to see the flaws that they have no matter how big or small. This book focuses a lot on horses, I was never a horse girl myself growing up but the way Anderson describes them is beautiful. This book is a masterpiece on feminine rage and I know so many people who would love to read this book. There are so many layers to this book and I can't wait to continue to think more about it and have the layers unravel. This book is one that will stay in my mind for a long time.

A new favorite! I absolutely loved this. I tried not to read it too quickly, but it was honestly such a joy that I kept going back to it. I feel like no matter what I write in this review it's not going to do the book justice, and I also don't want to spoil anything, so I'm probably going to keep it sort of brief.

The writing is just so good. This is a book in which every paragraph is carefully crafted, and there is zero filler. You are immediately pulled into this atmospheric world, full of dread and death. Marshall, the reporter, is a main character you can root for. The small town feels frighteningly familiar and claustrophobic, and from the moment Marshall gets there the danger is palpable. This is the sort of place that knows everybody’s business but will typically turn a blind eye even if someone is desperate for help. The further I read, the more I found myself thinking, “Boy, I sure hope this turns out okay, somehow.”

There are many alternate POV chapters, (bordering on too many but Anderson is capable), and the characters that she chose to follow surprised me a little bit. You will get to know a LOT of people. Anderson does something I really admire, which is show me a person that first comes across as very unlikable and then later reveal another, more personal side of them that completely changes my perspective. For a little while I did have some trouble remembering who everyone was because there were so many townspeople involved, but eventually I had it all straight. Rather than do first person perspective she also opted for third person, so it feels more like the camera just follows one character for a few minutes and then smoothly shifts over to another.

The way Anderson describes horses and how magical they seem to little girls is powerful. If you are a fan of horses I think this book will resonate with you specifically, though please be aware that awful things also happen to horses in this story so it is a double edged sword of the most literal kind. I don't want to say too much about this novel, because I want people to read it and enjoy it like I did. But there are several complicated themes that are handled, such as Grief, Motherhood/Pregnancy (both wanted and unwanted), and Addiction. It’s absolutely horror, but it’s also a crime/mystery story. I would maybe call it a little bit of a slow burn, but it’s not boring in any way. I couldn't really guess where things were heading, nor did I want to try. It's one of those books with A24 vibes. Bizarre and creepy and surprising!

There were a couple of things about the town lore that I found a little confusing, but it was still so weird and interesting to me that I was completely on board. And by the end, I had a pretty good grasp on it. I think Anderson is extremely talented both as an author in general, (that prose!), and as a creative storyteller. If she releases another horror novel I will be first in line to read it.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and to the Publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review! All opinions are my own.

Biggest TW: Animal death (violent), Substance abuse, Racism, Bullying, Domestic abuse, Suicidal Ideation, Mention of Miscarriage

I'm astounded. This book might be one of my favorites of the year. It's haunting and all too real at the same time. A must read, for sure.

Brilliant book! The atmosphere was bleak, dark and oppressive but the community of women shone through.
The book is about secrets and the burden women have to bear, along with a healthy dose of horses.
I honestly cannot recommend The Unmothers enough, it was truly a masterpiece.

Loved it! While the writing is at times uneven and tiny bit repetitive (some of it will probably be smoothed out by the final edits), this story of a depressed reporter following a bizarre lead in a small town known for its horse business (and superstitious) is excellent.
The sounds, smells, and the atmosphere of the foggy roads and the small town with its old church - it all worked really well. You may think you know where it’s going, but you don’t.
A very enjoyable, creepy read.

Thank you, NetGalley, for sharing the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

As a huge fan of multi-POV, I enjoyed seeing so many sides to the story. This story combined horror and folktale aspects with a mystery/thriller plot, which I felt worked really well!