Editorial Content for The Steep and Thorny Way
Contributors
Reviewer (text)
Cat Winters, author of IN THE SHADOW OF BlACKBIRDS and THE CURE FOR DREAMING, brings us another historical fiction novel set in the 1920’s that is also a retelling Shakespeare’s “Hamlet."
Hanalee Denney doesn’t really fit in. She is the daughter of an African American man and a white woman, and has few rights because of her slightly darker complexion. Even the Klu Klux Klan causes a strain in Hanalee’s strongest friendships.
I’ve only ever read books where monsters or aliens are the villains...but in THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY, Cat Winters excellently shows how America’s own history was full of horrors, solely because of the people, not make-believe creatures.
A year ago, Hanalee’s father was hit by a drunk-driving teenager and died from his injuries. Hanalee has just come to terms with her father’s passing when the boy responsible, Joe, is released from jail. Joe claims that he’s innocent in her dad’s death and begins to blame Hanalee’s step-father.
With the help of Joe and her father’s ghost, Hanalee is determined to discover the secrets behind her father’s death and what the people of Elston are really hiding.
I’ve only ever read books where monsters or aliens are the villains --- not people. Most of these books are based in alternate worlds or the distant future, but in THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY, Cat Winters excellently shows how America’s own history was full of horrors, solely because of the people, not make-believe creatures.
The number one reason I really enjoyed this book is because of its unpredictability. There were many times during this book where I though I could use my great Sherlockian skills and piece everything together, but I was so wrong. This book has so many twists and turns, but in the end everything connects perfectly and leaves the reader in awe.
I recommend THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY to those who’ve read Shakespeare’s “Hamlet” since this novel is a retelling. This novel is also great for historians who would like to walk in the shoes of someone who lived in the 1920s and view what life would have been like for an outcast like Hanalee.
Teaser
1920s Oregon is not a welcoming place for Hanalee Denney, the daughter of a white woman and an African-American man. She has almost no rights by law, and the Ku Klux Klan breeds fear and hatred in even Hanalee’s oldest friendships. Plus, her father, Hank Denney, died a year ago, hit by a drunk-driving teenager. Now her father’s killer is out of jail and back in town, and he claims that Hanalee’s father wasn’t killed by the accident at all but, instead, was poisoned by the doctor who looked after him --- who happens to be Hanalee’s new stepfather. The only way for Hanalee to get the answers she needs is to ask Hank himself, a “haint” wandering the roads at night.
Promo
1920s Oregon is not a welcoming place for Hanalee Denney, the daughter of a white woman and an African-American man. She has almost no rights by law, and the Ku Klux Klan breeds fear and hatred in even Hanalee’s oldest friendships. Plus, her father, Hank Denney, died a year ago, hit by a drunk-driving teenager. Now her father’s killer is out of jail and back in town, and he claims that Hanalee’s father wasn’t killed by the accident at all but, instead, was poisoned by the doctor who looked after him --- who happens to be Hanalee’s new stepfather. The only way for Hanalee to get the answers she needs is to ask Hank himself, a “haint” wandering the roads at night.
About the Book
A thrilling reimagining of Shakespeare’s "Hamlet", THE STEEP AND THORNY WAY tells the story of a murder most foul and the mighty power of love and acceptance in a state gone terribly rotten.
1920s Oregon is not a welcoming place for Hanalee Denney, the daughter of a white woman and an African-American man. She has almost no rights by law, and the Ku Klux Klan breeds fear and hatred in even Hanalee’s oldest friendships. Plus, her father, Hank Denney, died a year ago, hit by a drunk-driving teenager. Now her father’s killer is out of jail and back in town, and he claims that Hanalee’s father wasn’t killed by the accident at all but, instead, was poisoned by the doctor who looked after him --- who happens to be Hanalee’s new stepfather.
The only way for Hanalee to get the answers she needs is to ask Hank himself, a “haint” wandering the roads at night.
