Bleak Houses

     Study Guide available here! 

Safer and Family Solstice

The Selected Papers for the Study of Anomalous Phenomena is pleased to present two tales of family misadventures penned by Kate Maruyama.

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“An intriguing coming-of-age story that slides—at first
gradually, but then suddenly and horribly—into the nightmares of
understanding.”   --Ben Loory, author of Tales of Falling and Flying  
 
Kate Maruyama's Family Solstice isn't just heartfelt, disturbing, and wonderfully written, it's also a brilliant dissection of family dynamics and (yes really) America's troubled history. I can't recommend it highly enough." Six Time Bram Stoker Award Winning author, Lisa Morton

 

SAFER

Los Angeles is in lockdown, “Safer at home,” so Soledad, a college student, jumps at the opportunity to be live-in caretaker for Story, the son of an A-list celebrity. Solid pay and a change of scene are just what she needs in the pandemic. The parents are high maintenance, but she and Story form a quick bond. The dazzling lifestyle shows its dark underside when unsettling occurrences mount. Now it turns out the job that would set Soledad up for college might derail her life entirely if she decides to keep Story safer.
 

FAMILY SOLSTICE

The Massey family has a secret and Shea, the youngest, will be the last to find out exactly what’s in the basement. She’s been training hard for her 13th year when it will finally be her turn to perform the family duty of fighting. Her older siblings won’t tell her anything, but she’s excited and ready to take all comers. Even if they had, nothing could truly prepare her for what she has to face.
 

These compelling explorations of dark family secrets fearlessly delve into some of today’s most relevant and troubling issues. In Safer, Maruyama explores what parents will do for a child, and what happens to outsiders in unsafe houses, while Family Solstice addresses the dangers of tradition, inheritance and the sins of the father.

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