STRANGE FOLK
BY ALLI DYER
A woman returns to her estranged, magical family in Appalachia, where a conjuring meant to protect the community may have summoned something sinister in this lush, shimmering, and wildly imaginative debut novel, perfect for fans of Alice Hoffman, Deborah Harkness, and Sarah Addison Allen.
Lee left Craw Valley at eighteen without a backward glance. She wanted no part of the generations of her family who tapped into the power of the land to heal and help their community. But when she abandons her new life in California and has nowhere else to go, Lee returns to Craw Valley with her children in tow to live with her grandmother, Belva.
Lee vows to stay far away from Belva’s world of magic, but when the target of one of her grandmother’s spells is discovered dead, Lee fears Belva may have conjured something far more sinister.
As she and her family search for answers, Lee travels down a rabbit hole of strange phenomena and family secrets that force her to reckon with herself and rediscover her power in order to protect her family and the town she couldn’t leave behind.
August 2024 Library Reads Pick
“Dyer's debut is a tale of Appalachian folk magic, addiction, and shadows, both figurative and literal, with a moving multigenerational mother-daughter story at its heart.”
—Booklist
“[A] rich debut…it’s catnip for fans of homespun tales of rural America.”
—Publisher’s Weekly
“Delicious and haunting, Strange Folk is a story that deftly weaves family legacy, uncanny inheritances, and the perennial question of how a place can shape who we become.”
—Katy Hays, New York Times bestselling author of The Cloisters
“This book thrums with a strange magic that will stay with you long after you're done.”
—Alyssa Cole, New York Times bestselling author of When No One Is Watching
“Lush, vivid, and utterly unique…as much a rich exploration of trust, identity, and redemption as it is a page-turning mystery. A bewitching debut!”
—Andrea Bartz, New York Times bestselling author of The Spare Room and We Were Never Here
“A thrilling, unforgettable journey into little-known hollers where a dangerous brand of mountain witchcraft still brews.”
— Kirsten Miller, author of The Change and Lula Dean’s Little Library of Banned Books
“Original, gripping and beautifully conjured, Strange Folk is a story of magic as you’ve never seen it before. I loved this unforgettable novel of the hope and heartbreak of family and the transcendent power of the natural world.”
— Emilia Hart, New York Times bestselling author of Weyward
“Completely enchanting…a seductive slice of magic.”
—Ashley Winstead, author of Midnight is the Darkest Hour
“Strange Folk pulses with curious light, drawing the reader closer and closer until they are fully under the spell that only books this well-written and dreamily atmospheric can cast.”
—Leesa Cross-Smith, author of Half-Blown Rose, an Amazon Book Club Pick
"Lush and arresting, Strange Folk transports readers into a transcendent world of Appalachian magic, where secrets and desire continue to shape each generation.”
—Thao Thai, author of Banyan Moon
“I can’t remember the last time I could not only see a story, but smell, taste, touch, and hear it, too. With this stunning debut, Dyer shows herself to be a new standard-bearer for contemporary Southern gothic.”
—Julia Whelan, author of Thank You for Listening
“In this bewitching debut, not only do we bear witness to ‘folk’ who call on the strange and supernatural to change fortunes; we also see the magic of forgiveness, grace, and purpose.”
—Diane Marie Brown, author of Black Candle Women
“A taut thriller threaded through with dirt and blood, honey and moonshine. I couldn’t put this book down.”
—Clare Beams, author of The Illness Lesson and The Garden
About Alli
Alli Dyer grew up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Southwest Virginia where her family has lived for generations. For the last decade, she has worked in entertainment and book publishing and now lives in Los Angeles. Strange Folk is her first novel.
