An Ordinary Violence

"A cinematic, haunting debut that explores the many ways trauma and violence stay with us, the benefits and dangers of a physical reality merging with a spiritual one, and how the most dangerous monsters we ever face may be the ones we already know." — Chicago Review of Books

"Creepy and unsettling, this assured debut addresses the ways violence, grief, and unprocessed trauma reverberate over years, keeping fractured psyches and relationships from mending." — Booklist

"A chilling picture of trauma, grief, and violence that is anything but ordinary." — Library Journal

"An Ordinary Violence is an exceptionally executed work of atmospheric horror that delivers cruelly and completely. Chartrand masterfully draws out the narrative, gradually heightening the tension through skillful restraint and careful pacing." — Literary Review of Canada

"An Ordinary Violence promises an unforgettable read." — Indiginews

"This eerie and darkly funny horror novel explores the aftermath of trauma, violence, and loss in worlds inhabited by spirits along with humans." — Prairie Books NOW

"Well written, creepy, frustrating, and puzzling. There may be violence in this novel, but there’s nothing ordinary about it." — Drew Hayden Taylor, author of Take Us to Your Chief

"An Ordinary Violence is a gripping debut novel that bewilders in the best way possible. Adriana Chartrand sparks a fire on the first page that steadily burns into a tremendous literary spectacle that transcends genre. I was riveted by the story and thoroughly impressed by the writing. This novel will stay with me for a long time." — Waubgeshig Rice, author of Moon of the Turning Leaves

"What a book! It’s utterly enthralling and unsettling to your bones. A wonderful haunt that creeps into your psyche in the best possible way. I feel like I know Dawn, which only makes the story creepier. A tremendous debut, and I can’t wait to read more." — Jesse Wente, author of Unreconciled: Family, Truth, and Indigenous Resistance

"An Ordinary Violence by Adriana Chartrand is a compelling read that rockets off the page. From the first chapter, I was hooked and gleefully followed Dawn as she moved around the spaces she used to call home to figure out her new reality. The writing is poetic, truthful, and you can tell that Adriana has written a story from her heart. This book will be sure to surprise its readers!" —Francine Cunningham, author of God Isn’t Here Today

"An Ordinary Violence is surely a gripping and haunting novel, one that will hold you from the first word to the last, but what makes it so potent and memorable is the way Adriana Chartrand tells this story with such grace and humility. There is horror, and then there is horror—An Ordinary Violence has both. This is an unforgettable novel." — Morgan Talty, author of Night of the Living Rez

"Adriana Chartrand’s An Ordinary Violence is a hallucinatory slow-burn chiller, sharply observed and heartfelt in its depiction of family ties that bind like strips of wet rawhide. Dawn returns to her hometown to find it is in the grip of something uncanny and malevolent. As she visits old friends and familiar places, she grapples with ghosts from the past and demons on the rise to save her struggling father, her wayward brother, and herself. With this fresh and fearsome look at the contemporary Indigenous experience, Chartrand emerges at the forefront of our newest literary voices." — David Demchuk, author of The Bone Mother and RED X

"An unsettling, lyrical, slow-burn of a novel that combines the best elements of atmosphere and horror. Weaving together a history of violence with spirituality and the supernatural, Chartrand has achieved something special here, a cacophony of style and genre that displays the immeasurable potential of Indigenous storytelling." — David A. Robertson, author of The Theory of Crows