May 1, 2022
In this fiction debut from folklorist and National Poetry series winner Nethercott, the estranged Yaga siblings--woodworker Bellatine and street performer Isaac--are brought together by a surprising inheritance from Russia: a sentient house on chicken legs. Alas, the Longshadow Man has followed the house to the United States and is now tracking down its new owners with evil intent.
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June 13, 2022
Nethercott’s dark, difficult debut offers a heartbreaking reinterpretation of the myth of Baba Yaga. Isaac Yaga and his younger sister, Bellatine, are the “youngest living direct descendants” of Baba Yaga. They’ve been estranged since Isaac ran away from home at 17, but cautiously reconcile six years later when they inherit Baba Yaga’s famous chicken-legged hut. Woodworker Bellatine, who can bring inanimate objects to life, loves the house on sight, so actor/shape-shifter Isaac offers her a deal: they’ll tour the U.S. performing puppet shows and, at the end, all the proceeds will be his but the house will be hers. However, the mysterious Longshadow Man has been stalking the hut since 1919 and seeks to destroy it—and the Yagas—once and for all. Told largely by Isaac, Bellatine, and—fascinatingly—the hut itself, Nethercott’s ambitious attempt to write the next American Gods falters in its handling of evil. The characters themselves point out that the villain talks like a Nazi from an Indiana Jones movie, which cheapens the examination of racism and mob mentality—especially in the context of depictions of horrific antisemtism witnessed by the house (including a graphic infant murder in a Russian pogrom). Still, fans of thorny, contemporary retellings of folklore will appreciate Nethercott’s take on the theme of inherited trauma. Agent: Paul Lucas, Janklow & Nesbit Assoc.
Starred review from August 1, 2022
Part ghost story, part font of wisdom, this gorgeously written novel takes a fantastical romp while cautioning readers to remember the violence and inequity of the past--even when forgetting seems preferable. As young American adults, Isaac Yaga, busker and pickpocket, and his sister, Bellatine, find themselves in possession of Thistlefoot, a magical house that moves on chicken legs. With their last name as a clue, the house opens a key to their past. They descend from Baba Yaga, the sinister witch of Russian folklore who inhabited such a house. The siblings' quest will be to defeat the Longshadow Man, a murderous, shape-shifting supernatural enemy. In poetic language, the author leads readers to her definition of evil--the silencing of the brutality of the past. "The body remembers. The soured air remembers. We cannot forget." Through both humorous and violent ups and downs, Isaac and Bellatine learn to deploy the contents of their strange, fantastical house in pursuit of justice. They bond with other bedeviled young people and revive ghosts through Bellatine's power of Embering; heat emanates from her hands and wakes the dead. With echoes of Isaac Bashevis Singer and Sholem Aleichem, as well as Buddhist and Christian overtones, the Yagas unearth their past. They learn they come from people who dreamed and believed, who brought with them to America "languages, folded into the suitcases of their tongues." They realize they must tell the story of Gedenkrovka, Russia, where a pogrom destroyed its Jewish inhabitants. Despite its serious subject matter, this novel contains delights on every page. The author displays a capacious imagination, providing an entertaining, colorful read while grappling with subjects of utmost importance to today's turbulent world. This book blooms from a fairy tale to a panoptic story that defies space and time, brimming with creativity, wisdom, and love.
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Starred review from August 1, 2022
When estranged siblings Ballantine and Isaac Yaga reunite to claim their inheritance--a walking, chicken-legged cottage called Thistlefoot--they decide to take it on tour across the U.S., using its front porch as a puppet show stage. But the Yaga siblings soon discover that the house is being pursued by the Longshadow Man, an evil force who leaves chaos and destruction in his wake. And if that's not enough, their magical abilities further complicate their travels: the cheeky, frustrating Isaac can transform into anyone he pleases, which he uses to con people, and woodworker Ballantine has disciplined herself out of accidentally giving life to objects. In her first novel, Nethercott's quiet, lyrical, yet potent prose likewise breathes life into this stirring, multigenerational fairy tale, which suggests that you will always carry your ancestors' suffering within you, even when you know little of your own family history. In some chapters, the wise, cynical Thistlefoot speaks to the reader directly, recalling its history with Baba Yaga, the witch from Slavic folklore, as well as chilling anecdotes of Jewish persecution in early twentieth-century Russia (now Ukraine). This fable about fables reminds us of the staying power of stories, even as they evolve or contradict themselves over time.
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Starred review from August 1, 2022
DEBUT Russian Jewish folklore meets the modern world in this fantastical story of good versus evil. Estranged siblings Isaac and Bellatine Yaga come from a long line of Russian puppeteers, each having their own special talent (or curse). Isaac is the Chameleon King, changing his appearance by imitating a person's muscle movements. Bellatine has hands which ignite and wake the puppets. The siblings reunite when they receive an inheritance--Thistlefoot, a living house with chicken legs that moves and responds to commands in Yiddish. Isaac and Bellatine tour the U.S. with Thistlefoot, performing their famous puppet shows, but they soon discover there are others intent on finding the magical house. The evil Longshadow Man is close and will let no one get in his way; however, the house has its own agenda, and dues must be paid to balance the universe's energy. VERDICT Replete with beautiful metaphors and lyrical prose, poet and folklorist Nethercott's (The Lumberjack's Dove) debut novel deploys her poetic storytelling powers to spotlight the struggle against oppression. This modern-day fairy tale will ignite greater understanding of an individual's ability to incite change with the stories they tell.--K.L. Romo
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