A HAUNTED HOUSE FOR THE CLIMATE CHANGE ERA.\u00a0On the island of Sri Lanka, at a colonial mansion between the forest and the paddy fields, a caretaker arrives with four children in tow after pledging to keep them safe. When violent thugs storm the house demanding that Ushu repay his debt, young Jasmit and the other children hide in an upstairs bathroom where a running tap opens a gateway to escape. But the Dry House is not the only force at work in the place where the forest and the estate meet\u2014something else stirs in the trees, something ancient, something that demands retribution.<\/p>\n
The Sap Mother bides her time, watching and learning from the house\u2019s inhabitants. She burrows beneath the foundations of the Dry House, hungry for atonement. Pulled between these warring powers, Jasmit must choose between saving those trapped in the mansion\u2019s bulging stomachs and preparing the house for when the Mother emerges again.<\/p>\n
Dennis Mombauer lives in Colombo, Sri Lanka, where he works as a consultant on climate change and as a writer of weird fiction and textual experiments. He is co-publisher of a German magazine for experimental fiction, “Die Novelle \u2013 Magazine for Experimentalism.” His first English novel, \u201cThe Fertile Clay,\u201d is scheduled to be published by Nightscape Press<\/i> in 2022. He has also published a collection of short stories under the title The House of the Dark Whale<\/i>. Find Dennis on Twitter @DMombauerWriter<\/a>.<\/p>\n World Fantasy Award Finalist. A beautifully creepy novella set in Sri Lanka about a house that never should have been built and the life that survives the ravages of colonization and climate change.<\/p>\n “Mombauer\u2019s eerie, disorienting debut novella explores the haunting consequences of climate change and colonial greed. … At once climate fiction and gothic horror, Mombauer\u2019s mosaic tale manages to convey a powerful message without ever feeling preachy, painting a picture of a house that is more than just haunted. Readers will be captivated.<\/strong>” “Mombauer writes a speculative novella about climate change that is rooted in alterity, existing in a milieu of writers like Nina Allan (The Rift<\/em>), Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Mexican Gothic<\/em>), and even Amitav Ghosh (The Hungry Tide<\/em> and others).” “An eerie blend of myth and ghost story; the kind of haunting read that will linger with you long after the last page.”Learn More<\/h5>\n
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\n\u2060\u2014 Publishers Weekly<\/p>\n
\n\u2060\u2014 Shinjini Dey for the Chicago Review of Books<\/a><\/p>\n
\n\u2014\u00a0A.C. Wise, Bram Stoker Award Finalist<\/p>\n