Monica Brashears is an Affrilachian writer from Tennessee. She is a graduate of Syracuse University's MFA program. Her work has appeared in Nashville Review, Split Lip Magazine, Appalachian Review, The Masters Review, and more. House of Cotton is her debut novel.
A Most Anticipated Book of 2023: Bustle, PopSugar, Gizmodo, Book
Riot, Debutiful, CrimeReads, and more! "This is the story of
someone trying to get free in a world where the paths toward
freedom are winding, dark - and filled with tricksters and wolves.
And Magnolia is a complex heroine, drawn to dark shadows even as
she relentlessly seeks out the light." --NPR (Best Books of 2023)
"Lush and gorgeous -- and evidence of a new and decisive talent in
Monica Brashears... Brashears employs language like a knife,
cutting and shaping with remarkable dexterity, and the result is a
wonderwork of a first book. This is a novel that sweats and broods,
a story where something fretful is always boiling just under the
surface." --Nashville Scene "Magnetic, singular and completely
unforgettable." --New York Times
"House of Cotton is dazzling, full of surprises, and told with a
voice that's unpredictable and, more importantly, that lingers.
Fans of brave fiction would be remiss to skip this one." --NPR
"Startling, vivid, and impressive... Brashears has written a lush,
pictorial, and often steamy novel with an indelible heroine.
Coupling classic gothic elements with a realistic portrayal of the
issues facing a young, poor, Black woman with few options, the
novel's many strengths culminate in a powerful and original story
that will appeal to a variety of readers across fiction genres."
--Booklist "[A] haunting and macabre debut... Magnolia is a
wonderfully complex character." --Publishers Weekly "A lyrical
fever dream of a novel." --Kirkus "Mythic, agile, and alluring all
at once." --Bustle
"Delightfully morbid." --PopSugar
"[A] lush and lyrical debut." --Shondaland "A haunting and sly
Southern Gothic with plenty of things to say about race, gender,
and appropriation." --CrimeReads "A novel for anyone who loved
Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward." --Debutiful "Brashears takes
Magnolia's story in an array of beautifully poetic and surprisingly
artful directions and--by the time it's over--we see that she has
something wholly unique to say about race in America. Magnolia's
distinctive voice will stay with you long after her story on the
page is over." --Isaac Fitzgerald "[A] lush and lyrical debut."
--Shondaland "Lush and gorgeous -- and evidence of a new and
decisive talent in Monica Brashears... Brashears employs language
like a knife, cutting and shaping with remarkable dexterity, and
the result is a wonderwork of a first book. This is a novel that
sweats and broods, a story where something fretful is always
boiling just under the surface." --Nashville Scene
"Brashears offers a fresh new perspective on Appalachia and the
American South, and Magnolia's rich voice will echo with readers
long after the pages are closed." --Julia Kastner, Shelf Awareness
"A beautiful book about the strange contours of grief." --Raven
Leilani, author of Luster, winner of the NBCC John Leonard Prize
"Monica Brashears is a stunning new talent. Her debut, House of
Cotton, is an incredible work of harsh beauty and a novel you won't
forget." --Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah, New York Times bestselling
author of Friday Black "Monica Brashears is an immense talent, and
her enchanting, strikingly original prose will astonish you.
Magnolia is such a vivid, tender character: whip smart but deeply
innocent, traumatized but also joyful and funny. Magnolia's complex
voice is nothing short of miraculous. House of Cotton is a
powerful, seductive, and subversive novel." --Dana Spiotta, author
of Eat the Document, winner of the Rosenthal Foundation Award
"Mystical, carnal, and written in fire. House of Cotton ushers
Monica Brashears straight onto American lit's mainstage, which she
should grace for a long time." --Jonathan Dee, author of The
Privileges, winner of the Prix Fitzgerald
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