Unbury Carol: A Novel

Part Western fiction and part horror story featuring supernatural elements, Josh Malerman’s recent novel Unbury Carol is thrillingly creepy. Carol Evers has a recurring condition that makes her appear dead even though she is actually alive in a coma-like state. Only two people know her secret: Dwight, her greedy and conniving husband, and James Moxie, her first love who she hasn’t seen since he became a famous outlaw years ago. After Carol falls into a coma, Dwight seizes the opportunity to inherit her large fortune; careful to avoid suspicion, he offers a convincing story for her death and arranges her funeral to be held in two days. Moxie, however, learns of Carol’s “death” and begins his long journey on the Trail, hoping to save Carol from being buried alive. To keep Moxie from thwarting his plans, Dwight hires a terrifying hitman known as Smoke, who will stop at nothing to kill Moxie. Meanwhile, Carol, who can hear all that is going on around her, does everything she can to wake up from her coma before it’s too late.

Malerman brings his frontier world alive in surprising and original ways, and he describes Carol’s coma-world, referred to as Howltown, with marvelous detail. Perhaps Malerman’s greatest feat is his depiction of Rot, the embodiment of death. Unbury Carol is an unsettling read that will keep readers hooked through the last page.