Withered

“Ellis’s recovery from their eating disorder cunningly intertwines with the ghost story as Wilmot interrogates the human desire for control over one’s body, natural forces, and even life and death.” — Publishers Weekly

“Withered is a slow burn psychological horror that will consume its readers through its exploration of the toxicity and timelessness of grief and the way it chokes all those it touches. The time-paused town of Black Stone reveals to readers what it means to conquer death and what it means to be alive. Wilmot elegantly illuminates the power of art and its impact on identity and memory, while painting a vivid definition of a ghost town with their prose.” — Ai Jiang, Nebula finalist and author of Linghun and I Am Ai

“Unwinding like a bandage from an old wound, Withered explores the cost of living with ourselves and our fragile histories. Wilmot deconstructs the haunted house and finds a home worth saving.” — Andrew F. Sullivan, author of The Marigold and The Handyman Method

“In this clever mix of The Haunting of Hill House, Stranger Things, and Death with Interruptions, A.G.A. Wilmot has created a narrative that digs beyond the abyss and provides something entirely new, merely by asking a simple question: What if we just said ‘no’ to Death? It's a beautiful examination not just of grief, but of the will to live — something we sorely need.” — Adam Pottle, award-winning author of Apparitions

“Withered is a delightful exploration into the secrets of a small town, the nature of loss, and how we cope with grief.” — White Wall Review

“Wilmot’s fast-paced psychological-horror novel offers a fresh spin on the haunted-house trope, with well-drawn queer and trans representation at its center. This thought-provoking blend of psychological and supernatural horror will appeal to fans of Stranger Things and allegorical haunted-house novels like Carissa Orlando’s The September House.” — Booklist

“Withered is a compassionate exploration of mental health, hauntings, and the way grief can pull, stretch, or erode our sense of self. Told with wit and warmth, it is a triumph of love in the face of heartache and death.” — Suzan Palumbo, Nebula and World Fantasy Award finalist

“Withered is the very best kind of horror novel, a book that makes visible the challenges of mental illness and grief, and gives them a story that deeply acknowledges that pain and trauma. Ellis, the teen protagonist, is one of the most compelling characters I have ever read, someone I knew I had to root for from the very beginning. Withered is beautiful, sad, and scary, and I couldn’t have asked for anything more.” — Jen Sookfong Lee, author of Superfan

“Brimming with dark, foreboding atmosphere, intelligent prose, and the kind of 'creepy' that'll have readers sleeping with the lights on, Withered explores the depths of mental illness through a chilling narrative, exposing their raw and unsettling truths.” — All the Books and the Ways

“This is a very modern, queer, paranormal, Canadian horror story that would be appropriate for a young-adult reader and could easily translate to film... The crescendo is certainly an intense and layered one you will not soon forget.” — Absolute Underground