Weird Book Review: Kay Chronister's The Bog Wife

Back in December, I came across this newly released novel by Kay Chronister. My arms were overloaded with titles I’d committed to buying that day, so I made a note to put the book on hold at my local library and months later, I finally got the chance to experience this haunting, lush narrative.

The Bog Wife (2024) is Kay Chronister’s third book, released after the short story collection Thin Places (2020) and the novel Desert Creatures (2022). Her short fiction has appeared in Strange Horizons, Clarkesworld, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, The Dark, and elsewhere; she has been nominated for the Shirley Jackson and World Fantasy awards. 

With The Bog Wife, Chronister’s talent for effective, resonant characterization is on prominent display. The story follows the challenges of the Haddesley family, inhabitants of an ancient bog palace in Appalachian West Virginia. The family maintains a long-standing compact with the bog, which is a vibrant character itself. 

Upon the passing of their father, the Haddesley children, grown up but stunted by limited life experience, must carry out a ritual that will result in the bog providing the new patriarch with a bog wife. Grieving the disappearance of their mother, the most recent in a long line of bog wives, the Haddesleys are eager to fulfill their obligation and return order to the family. When the ritual does not deliver, the Haddesleys are forced to examine their fantastical origins and face truths of the bog that have been hidden for generations.

Throughout this haunting tale, Chronister depicts a family wrought with conflict, comparable in impact and depth to modern Southern Gothic works like Gillian Flynn’s Sharp Objects. Family secrets abound and obligations dominate the actions of the Haddesleys. Told from the perspectives of all five adult siblings, The Bog Wife is a prismatic, folkloric tale. Brimming with evocative descriptions of the natural setting, the novel highlights the bog’s role in this family’s legacy. The deeper we venture into the Haddesley’s bog, the more entangled with their dramas we become.

With enviable finesse, Chronister spins her tale with prose that feels both natural and highly crafted at once. She commands characterization; the Haddesleys and the bog they serve live and breathe for the duration. Page after page, the weight of the family’s compact with the bog seems to hang over us. But the substantiality does not oppress—instead it enchants. 

Upon returning The Bog Wife to my local library, I bought my own copy, as it demands to be reread. Next time I read it, I think I’ll do so bog-side. There’s got to be the perfect fen out there, waiting for my return.

If you’re a lover of weird literature or just plain stellar writing, I highly recommend The Bog Wife. Find a copy at your local library or independent bookstore!