Description

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At turns haunting and breathtaking, Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves explores legacies of love, family, and the ghostly imprint grief leaves behind as three women face the past to bring light to an old Southern town lost deep beneath the surface.

Years ago, yellow fever gripped the small lakeside town of Prosper, Arkansas. At the height of that summer swelter, in the wake of an unexpected storm, the dam failed and the valley flooded—drowning the town and everyone trapped inside.

The secrets of old Prosper drowned with them.

Now, decades later, when a mysterious locked box is pulled from the depths of the lake, three descendants of that long-ago tragedy are hurled into another feverish summer. Cassie: the reclusive sole witness to an impossible horror no one believes. Lark: a wide-eyed dreamer haunted by bizarre visions. June: caught between longing for a fresh start and bearing witness to the ghosts of the past. Bound together, all three must contend with their home's complex history—and with the ruins of the town lost far beneath the troubled water.

"A liquid southern Gothic that laps against the land of the living until old secrets that can't be washed away are revealed. Seductive, haunting and beautiful." —Willa Reece, author of Wildwood Magic

About the Author

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Quinn Connor is one pen in two hands: Robyn Barrow and Alexandra Cronin. An Arkansan and a Texan, when they aren’t writing, they’re arguing about the differences between queso and cheese dip. Both writers from young ages, Robyn and Alexandra met in college and together developed their unique co-writing voice. They are very thankful that no matter what, there’s always one other person in the world who cares about their characters as much as they do. Robyn is a PhD candidate in art history at the University of Pennsylvania. When she isn’t scavenging cheese and free wine at lectures, she spends her days happily exploring crumbling medieval churches. Alexandra is a North Texas transplant living in Brooklyn with her monstrous cat, Prosper, working in PR to fund her writing habit. In her free time, she can be found exploring the city for a new favorite restaurant, topping off her tea, and amassing a collection of winter coats. Unless Robyn is trekking in Iceland, or Alexandra is chasing down rumors of homemade pasta in Park Slope, they write every day. It’s their preferred form of conversation.

Praise For…

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"A liquid southern Gothic that laps against the land of the living until old secrets that can’t be washed away are revealed. Seductive, haunting and beautiful." — Willa Reece, author of Wildwood Whispers

"Readers should prepare themselves to get lost in a dreamy, lush narrative, riddled with stirring subterfuge, captivating characters, and a visceral sense of place. Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves is a lyrical swarm of history, friendship, tragedy, and the limitlessness of reality. June, Lark, and Cassie are like sirens calling from a distant shore luring the reader further and further into the depths of understanding. You won't be able to put it down." — Lo Patrick, author of The Floating Girls

"Eerie and deeply atmospheric, Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves immediately transported me to a hot, sticky lakeside summer, where the story wrapped around me, pulled me under, and wouldn't let go." — Nichelle Giraldes, author of No Child of Mine

"Cicadas Sing of Summer Graves is pure alchemy—it breathes in a mystery and exhales magic. In Prosper, Arkansas, up is down, history is alive, fantasy is reality, grief becomes horror becomes salvation. I loved getting sucked into the slow, sticky Southern summer with these rich characters, watching helplessly as they struggle with love and loss and legacy while the past haunts them at every turn." — Eden Robins, author of When Franny Stands Up