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“Sheri Holman.... has shown since the beginning of her career a restless adventurousness that is the mark of a born novelist, the sort of novelist who can’t help writing even if the novel is dying or literary culture is evolving or apps are replacing human brains.”—Jane Smiley, Los Angeles Review of Books
“Holman is an original, and her literary ideas are so sublimely odd that they seem to have exited her imagination of their own free will...[her] new novel,Witches on the Road Tonight, is, again, a happy surprise. She has brought together the crisp, domestic comedy of The Mammoth Cheese and the seeping ghoulishness of The Dress Lodger to create a marvelously creepy, touching, and tender novel. The supernatural is simultaneously questioned and accepted, as if being a witch were as impossible and as inescapable as a loved one’s rare genetic disease. A thoroughly modern ghost story, Witches on the Road Tonight is also a tale of the ghosts of real life: the ghosts we cannot shake, the memories and choices that haunt us.”—Cathleen Schine,New York Review of Books “Witches on the Road Tonight moves both forward and backward in time, with the principal voices, Tucker, Eddie and Wallis, speaking in an alternating and often lyrical chorus. Holman’s previous novels—among them the best-selling Dress Lodger, a spellbinding account of a prostitute in England during the cholera epidemic of 1831—are distinguished by splendid writing, and her gifts are dramatically evident here. She is as eloquent about the physical landscape of her stories as she is about the internal terrain of human emotion.”--Washington Post “"Holman... is among the most deserving American novelists for promotion to the A-list....There is humour in Holman’s prose, and intelligent ironies, but no camp, no ghoulish excess.Witches is a serious novel about America’s relationship with—and arguable reliance upon—homegrown mythologies: horror B-movies, the cabin in the woods, Southern black magic and, yes, witches. For readers who like their trendy monsters delivered in wise and sensual lines, and with a side order of cultural insight, Witches on the Road Tonight beats the vampires hands down.”--Toronto Globe and Mail “A spooky, multigenerational ghost story... Eerie and fascinating... Vivid and lushly written... Holman explores an ambitious collection of themes: the fearful “monsters” created by ignorance and prejudice; the burden of limited roles for women and how they can deform and disconnect; the myth of the obedient wife and mother and the tradition of heterosexual marriage; and the importance of a safety zone between fear and reassurance and whether in today’s world we can still expect to find it.... [Witches on the Road Tonight] casts its spell... and reminds us of the dark side that’s trapped in the mirror until we’re willing to look long enough to see what’s really staring back.”--Atlanta Journal and Constitution “Rich and rewarding read, elegant and assured.”--Barnes and Noble Review “[Holman's] prose.... somehow manages to make the most extravagant ideas seem both vivid and likely. She also boasts a fine, Gothic imagination, summoning fragments of visceral detail at will... Holman evokes the blur between the real and the supernatural as if it were the most straightforward thing, a knack possessed by few writers, though Alice Hoffman immediately springs to mind.”--New York Times Book Review “Holman’s gifts for Gothic prose and palpable details are what make scenes such as Cora’s midnight ride so riveting and realistic, but it’s Holman’s ability to ride that line between supernatural sensationalism and everyday occurrences that carries readers’ enthusiasm along on the characters’ unfolding paths....With a tale this deliciously imaginative and the telling of it so delightfully descriptive, Holman has crafted not only a mesmerizing and complex story, but she’s created something that is truly a pleasure to read. Let Witches on the Road Tonight slip in and weave its magic in your mind, it will leave you spellbound.”--Popmatters “Witches on the Road Tonight is the rare novel that forges a palpable link between the past and present, and does so without resorting to cliches. Author Sheri Holman takes the basic story of a life — in this case, the ascent of a backwoods boy who grows up to be a host on a horror show — and imbues it with intelligence, wit and atmospheric prose that leaves an indelible mark.”--Pittsburgh Tribune-Review “[Holman’s] weird and wonderful new novel, Witches on the Road Tonight, is a blend of backwoods sorcery and ageless heartbreak.... Holman expertly untangles and reweaves many threads in this novel: among them, the lure and revulsion of both external and emotional violence; the complexity of sexual love; the fragility of the relationships we construct; real and perceived ghosts; and, of course, witchcraft.... Witches on the Road Tonight haunts. As the twisted narrative unfolds with tantalizing surprises, Sheri Holman displays her own kind of sorcery, making us believe what we might not otherwise believe.”--Bookpage “Heartbreaking... Holman investigates a dynasty of fear, mysticism, guilt, and love, beginning in Depression-era Appalachia through to contemporary Manhattan... [and] maps out the devastating consequences of sin and circumstance.”--Publishers Weekly “A compelling tale that blends the supernatural with the unacknowledged darkness in the human heart...”--Smoky Mountain News “Vibrantly atmospheric, Holman’s stealthily ambiguous novel of suspense glitters with the force of sins and indiscretions unbounded by time.”--Booklist “...Visceral narration....One of Holman’s greatest strengths is her ability to transport readers back to other eras through the carefully-placed details she slips onto the page.”--David Abrams, The Quivering Pen Hey there horror show fans—read an interview with Sheri at Famous Monsters of Filmland!—courtesy of Max Cheney, The Drunken Severed Head. New York Times Editor's Choice People Magazine gives Witches FOUR STARS Read more about Sheri's research on horror hosts at Wall Street Journal's Speakeasy |
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