You, From Below
When an Appalachian holler town is suddenly swallowed into the earth, its sole survivor—the nameless, second-person narrator of You, From Below—embarks on a journey up a nearby mountain to get answers. With a mysterious envelope in their pocket that they know they must deliver, the narrator encounters a faceless beekeeper, an undying woman, and a righteous schoolteacher of a town that was raptured overnight while confronting their own past and the death of both the town and people they left behind. Em J Parsley’s You, From Below burrows into the ecological, economic, and emotional state of Central Appalachia to examine its past, present, and the nature of reciprocity through this speculative, introspective, fable-like exploration of collapse and regeneration.
Praise for You, From Below:
"Em J Parsley has penned The Wizard of Oz for modern-day Appalachia. You, From Below swept me into a whirlwind, and I loved every twist and turn. Parsley expertly spins the surreal into the all-too-real, delivering powerful instruction about how to push on after life as you know it has quite literally crumbled before your eyes. This book is a terror, a beauty, a comfort; it is one to hold close in hard times, for all times."
—Kristen Gentry, author of Mama Said
"Weaves Appalachian landscape and lore with magical realism, guiding readers on an urgent journey up a treacherous mountain path where they will meet characters both curious and disturbing. With intimate knowledge of the region, Parsley crafts a world where disaster and wonder coexist, blurring the lines between history and myth. Lovely, lush, and haunting."
—Alisa Alering, author of Smothermoss
"A surreal novella that grabs your hand and pulls you along for a deeply personal trek through childhood, loss and memory. Em J Parsley expertly captures stifling vignettes of the Appalachian summer, as uneasy and fragmented as the town of Mission itself. Haunting and as inescapable as the kudzu—will cling to you for days after reading."
—William A. Wellman, creator of Hello From The Hallowoods
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