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OUT OF SALEM

Hal Schrieve

The best teen zombie werewolf witchy faerie fantasy novel you've ever read - by twenty-one-year-old debut author Hal Schrieve
Genderqueer fourteen-year-old Z Chilworth has to adjust quickly to their new status as a zombie after waking from death from a car crash that killed their parents and sisters. Always a talented witch, Z now can barely perform magic and is rapidly decaying. Faced with rejection from their remaining family members and old friends, Z moves in with Mrs. Dunnigan, an elderly witch, and befriends Aysel, a loud would-be-goth classmate who is, like Z, a loner. As Z struggles to find a way to repair the broken magical seal holding their body together, Aysel fears that her classmates will discover her status as an unregistered werewolf. When a local psychiatrist is murdered by what seems to be werewolves, the town of Salem, Oregon, becomes even more hostile to "monsters," and Z and Aysel are driven together in an attempt to survive a place where most people wish that neither of them existed.
Rarely has a first-time author created characters of such immediacy and power as Z, Aysel, Tommy (suspected fey) and Elaine (also a werewolf), or a world that parallels our own so clearly and disturbingly.
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Published 2019-03-01 by Seven Stories Press

Comments

Out of Salem is the best urban fantasy I've ever read. Hal Schrieve refurbishes old school world-building sensibilities into a note-perfect dysphoria metaphor that feels fresh and classic at the same time. Simultaneously nostalgic and forward looking, this book should set a new standard in the genre. Terrifying, beautiful, exhilarating. -- April Daniels, author of The Nemesis trilogy

[...] darkly humored fantasy explores censorship, government surveillance, homelessness, and real-world (not just magical) forms of oppression .... Schrieve depicts diversity among the queer and trans characters, highlighting how economic and racial privilege make the concerns of middle-aged, rich, white trans women different from those of a young, trans woman of color without access to medical care. Tension burns hot until the explosive conclusion, which begs for a sequel. On fire with magic and revolution. -- Kirkus starred review

[...] Any reader who has felt it necessary to hide their true identity will find strong characters to connect with in this fun, powerful story. -- starred review Read more...

Out of Salem is the genderqueer, undead, anarchist Harry Potter replacement we have all been waiting for. Queer teen readers will fall in love with this gang of misfit magical monsters; not so much chosen ones as outcasts, and if you know a queer teen you should definitely buy it for them. However, in its political acuity, its sadness and, ultimately, its hope, Schrieve's book is much more than just a good YA read. It is also, in the best possible sense, an educational experience." - Cat Fitzpatrick, editor of Meanwhile Elsewhere: Science Fiction & Fantasy from Transgender Writers

Zombies, werewolves, witches, and other similar creatures show up a lot in YA literature, often serving as metaphors for the emotional changes, transforming bodies, and expanding abilities of adolescence. In Hal Schrieve's Out of Salem, grieving, genderqueer, and now-undead Z may not have technically survived the crash that killed their family; while Aysel has always kept to herself - as an unregistered werewolf she is vulnerable to legal repercussions, and as a gay Turkish American fat girl she's vulnerable to jerks at school. The two find themselves becoming friends, discovering community, and stretching into their identities at the same time that the town is experiencing a wave of paranoia and violence against monsters - the true moments of horror in this book come as the reader experiences Z and Aysel's fear of exposure and persecution. Set in a misty small town reminiscent of Forks, WA, Out of Salem is like Twilight for real people. Read more...

Schrieve's queer vision of a monster-infested '90s is rich in metaphor and rife with meaning." —Kyle Lukoff, librarian and author of When Aidan Became A Brother

Among PW Best Books for 2019. Read more...

Longlisted for the National Book Award 2019 for Young Readers Read more...

Schrieve's debut novel serves up a lot of food for thought about otherness, diversity, and even police brutality, against the backdrop of a fast-paced urban fantasy thriller. - Booklist

Out of Salem is one of B&N's most anticipated LGBTQ YA books of 2019. Read more...