It’s 1907, and a terrible snow storm rages across the Midwest, burying a rural community but also revealing its citizens’ closely guarded secrets. Two farm families — the Johnsons and the Fryes — struggle while their women fight to give birth during the storm. The only midwife in the county must decide which mother and which baby to help, if she is able to make it through the deepening snow at all. The difficult and dangerous births force a host of people to risk going out in the storm, which has turned the familiar countryside into a strange and confusing landscape. Meanwhile, the snow storm has emboldened a band of coyotes that normally stays close to the mysterious and forbidding Hollis Woods, where thirty years before the Hollis children disappeared one by one without a trace. Their ghosts haunt the woods still, say locals. But it turns out everyone has a past that haunts them, and the relentless storm provides the perfect canvas for painting memories and images best left forgotten. The Strophes of Job is a prequel to the multi-award-winning Crowsong for the Stricken, a Kirkus Reviews Best Indie Book of 2017 (“strange and beautiful,” starred review).

The paperback edition includes an afterword by the author, the story “Sheol,” and an interview of the author by Aswin Prasanth and Augustine George.

Available from Amazon in hardcover, paperback, and Kindle. Also check your favorite independent bookstore’s website. See the novel’s sell sheet.

I know the hardcover edition is pricey. I’d be happy to send you a signed copy at a much reduced price. Email me at jtedmorrissey@gmail.com if interested.

The Strophes of Job was a Finalist for the Reader Views Literary Award in Horror.  “I absolutely loved [the novel]. . . . This poetic piece will keep you captivated by the secrets within.” — Chelsy Scherba, Reader Views (5/5 stars)

Reviews

“Elegantly written . . . I would say Ted Morrissey is the modern-day Hawthorne. He was able to immerse me in the thoughts and fears of a people long past. . . . I absolutely loved [the novel]. . . . I highly recommend this book to people who enjoy historical pieces, spooky stories, and rich character perspectives. . . . This poetic piece will keep you captivated by the secrets within.” — Chelsy Scherba, Reader Views (5/5 stars)

“It’s a Southern gothic novel transplanted to the Midwest, a Victorian horror story in early 20th century America, and a sweeping magical realist family saga. Morrissey’s Faulkneresque stream-of-consciousness style is hypnotic, and his characters seem to live beyond the page . . . It’s a serious literary achievement . . . a notable work from a singular talent.” — BlueInk Review

“[Morrissey] deftly blends elements of horror and the supernatural with the everyday struggles of his characters, cultivating an atmosphere of lingering unease. From the eerie legends surrounding the Hollis Woods to the whispered rumors of ghosts and malevolent spirits, he crafts a world where the line between reality and fantasy becomes increasingly blurred, leaving readers questioning the nature of truth itself. A chilling saga of survival and secrets, this is a must-read for lovers of horror and supernatural mysteries.” — The Prairies Book Review

“Morrissey’s lyrical prose, which changes its rhythm depending on which character’s head he inhabits, captures the textures and cosmologies of this small, hard world…. This is a ghost story that changes shape as often as its ghosts do, and patient readers will enjoy every permutation.” — Kirkus Reviews, recommended, with accolades (selected by the Indie Editors for inclusion in the July 2024 print issue of the magazine)

“Evoking Greek odes, Ted Morrissey’s terrifying and uncanny novel The Strophes of Job follows two desperate families through a frozen landscape as creatures of death move in the darkness … built up by immaculate, visceral descriptions of the freezing world around the families … The Strophes of Job is a haunting novel in which imperiled families fight for survival against secrets and a deadly storm.” — Ben Linder, Foreword Reviews

“Like Hawthorne, Morrissey presents fantastical elements ambiguously, in such a way that realistic or psychological explanations cannot unequivocally be ruled out. Indeed, we, as modern readers, unequivocally rule them in but we might spend days wondering exactly how to do it, for traces of allegory in the 21st century writing, or even in the 20th century setting, are a bit unsettling.” — Joyce Goldenstern, North American Review

“The book weaves marital infidelity, crime, and supernatural phenomena together to give a final jaw-dropping story. . . . [T]he character development is top-notch. . . . Vengeance . . . wonderfully drives the plot. . . .This is one of those books you just want to reread.” — Joule Mwendwa, Online Book Club, 5/5 stars

Here’s a book launch video for the novel:

It’s also available as Bonus Episode 2 of the podcast “A Lesson before Writing” on Spotify and Apple Podcasts. The strophe that I read is available here, published by Twelve Winters Journal.