The Red Tree by Caitlín R. Kiernan
Sarah Crowe left Atlanta–and the remnants of a tumultuous relationship–to live in an old house in rural Rhode Island. Within its walls she discovers an unfinished manuscript written by the house’s former tenant–an anthropologist obsessed with the ancient oak growing on a desolate corner of the property.
Tied to local legends of supernatural magic, as well as documented accidents and murders, the gnarled tree takes root in Sarah’s imagination, prompting her to write her own account of its unsavory history.
And as the oak continues to possess her dreams and nearly almost all her waking thoughts, Sarah risks her health and her sanity to unearth a revelation planted centuries ago…
Representation Includes
- Lesbian protagonist
Content Warnings
Descriptions of gore, cheating, BDSM, on the page sex, suicidality, multiple mentions of suicides, possible gaslighting, doubting reality, ritual sacrifice, dead rabbit, rape mentions, hints at possible other sexual assault, mentions of serial killers and some description of their victims, descriptions of digitally created images of bestiality pornAwards
- Nominated for the Locus Award, World Fantasy Award, Gaylactic Spectrum Award, Shirley Jackson Award