Errant Roots by Sonora Taylor
Our blood is our mother’s, and our mother’s mother’s.
Errant Roots (Selected Papers from the Consortium for the Study of Anomalous Phenomena Book 6) is a horror novella by Sonora Taylor. Published by Raw Dog Screaming Press on October 15, 2024, it weighs in at 95 pages.
I had the pleasure of hearing Sonora Taylor read the first chapter of this novella at the October 2024 Scares That Care event in St. Louis two weeks before it was released. (By the way—it was an amazing event!) I was absolutely hooked! Immediately after the author reading segment, I went into the vendor room and purchased one of the remaining copies she had on hand. I’m so glad I did! AND I got it signed. Bonus!
Errant Roots is a story about mother and daughter relationships, including the family traditions passed down through them and the ties that bind (and suffocate) them. We follow Harriet and her daughter Deirdre in this thrilling folk horror tale. As the plot unfolds, we learn how the matriarchal family tree forms their relationship with each other—and ultimately how it affects their lives and the decisions they make.
This is a story that explores the imposed chains of blood, blood as memory, and memory as tradition. It’s a fresh and riveting view of a matriarchy built on madness. It’s insightful to watch as mothers damage their own children for the sake of adhering to family traditions and succumbing to pressure.
As a woman and the mother of a young woman, this story just hit home for me. Not that my family ever lived a parallel life to the characters in Errant Roots, but it was interesting to read the interactions between the extended family members and compare them, their thoughts, and their unwavering beliefs to things I’ve witnessed with some of my estranged relatives. It made the story come to life even more.
Taylor invites us to watch as Deirdre and Harriet explore the branches of their family tree and the twisted roots that support its growth. It was fascinating to see how beliefs and actions flowed down from one generation to the next, despite some members being estranged for years. Is blood really memory? Are we damned to blindly follow the same path as those who came before us? Taylor explores these moments for Deirdre and Harriet and the decisions they make for the sake of the mother and daughter bond.
This book will make you think about what you would do if your family were to put you in some very tough and demanding situations, especially at a young age. Who would you trust? How far would you go to preserve your family? What would you be willing to do?
This is a fantastic story. I devoured it in one sitting. The author kept me on my toes the whole time, intrigued and wondering what would happen next. She gifts the reader with a small bit of foresight which makes the story even creepier and more sinister. The tension builds and builds as you go. There are moments of dread and suspense plus utter, horrifying shock. Taylor did an excellent job keeping the fear tangible throughout the story, and I couldn’t put it down. I love quick reads. I’m a short story and novel fan, too, but this length offers such a concise and fulfilling story along with the gratification of consuming its entirety in one sitting. It’s the best of both worlds.
Need more Sonora Taylor?
Who is Sonora Taylor?
Sonora Taylor (she/her) is the award-winning author of several books and short stories. Her books include Someone to Share My Nightmares: Stories, Seeing Things, Little Paranoias: Stories, Without Condition, The Crow’s Gift and Other Tales, and Wither and Other Stories. She also co-edited Diet Riot: A Fatterpunk Anthology with Nico Bell. Her short stories have been published by Rooster Republic Press, Kandisha Press, Camden Park Press, Cemetery Gates Media, Tales to Terrify, Sirens Call Publications, Ghost Orchid Press, and others.
Her short stories and books frequently appear on “Best of the Year” lists. In 2020, she won two Ladies of Horror Fiction Awards: one for Best Novel (Without Condition) and one for Best Short Story Collection (Little Paranoias: Stories). In 2022, her short story, “Eat Your Colors,” was selected by Tenebrous Press to appear in Brave New Weird: The Best New Weird Horror Vol. 1. In 2024, her nonfiction essay, “Anything But Cooking, Please,” was a Top 15 finalist in Roxane Gay’s Audacious Book Club essay contest.
For two years, she co-managed Fright Girl Summer, an online book festival highlighting marginalized authors, with V. Castro. She is an active member of the Horror Writers Association and serves on the board of directors of Scares That Care.
Her latest short story collection, Recreational Panic, is now available from Cemetery Gates Media. Her next novella, Errant Roots, will be out October 15, 2024 from Raw Dog Screaming Press.
She lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband and a rescue dog.
***Info taken from Sonora Taylor’s website
