Stitches

A NOVEL about poverty, mortality, and escapism. "Dearest Reader, By the end of this story, several people whom you've come to know and love will be dead. This is your last chance to back out. Thoughtfully Yours, On behalf of the Porter and the Olsen Families, The unluckiest families in the world." Someone ripped the townhouse off the end of the row and shook it. At least, that's how it seemed to the Porter Family. Mark lost his job at the auto parts store and Freya had a psychotic break just weeding through the carpet for glass. Chairs were upended. Their son lost his sight and hearing. The windows turned into skylights. Curtains hung from the ceiling and now, if one had on slippery socks, they could glide straight to the bathroom. Their eighteen-year-old delinquent niece, Aleksia, was shipped in from Norway to have a better life. The Porters were straightening the walls and rehanging the family photos when she moved in. That is to say: it wasn't exactly the best timing. Stitches is a Southern Gothic novel about a haunted Baltimore family desperately trying to pull their lives together in the six months prior to a catastrophic event that would twist their neighborhood right from the ground. Unflinching and nerve-rattling, the story dips into dark corners and magical dreams as two cousins make a run for their lives.