Root Rot

Dysfunctional family dynamics find a potent natural outlet in Nislow’s eerie and lush body-horror debut. A group of nine young cousins are brought together by a family vacation to the Lake House, a mysterious property managed by their grandfather in the middle of a dense forest. The idyllic trip is punctuated by mysterious visions and surreal happenings that it seems only the children—who are referred to entirely by epithets like The Oldest, The Secret Keeper, and The Liar—can see. After The Baby briefly disappears, the children believe the version of her that comes back is in fact a body double made of fungus and begin to fear there’s something in the woods that plans to claim them for its own mysterious purposes. Nislow does an impressive job of balancing the deeply human with the fantastical, keeping readers uncertain if the supernatural creatures in the woods or the adults in the Lake House are the true monsters. The writing is elegant and focused as it delineates a large and complex cast, and the grimy rot that underlies the story pays off with several enjoyably nasty scenes and images that will haunt readers. Dense, atmospheric, and creepy, this marks Nislow as a writer to watch. (Mar.)