The Doloriad

The Matriarch, her brother, and their family are the last of humankind, living on the edges of a ruined city. The Matriarch rules with fear and force, while her children scavenge supplies and cultivate the poisoned earth. One day, the Matriarch dreams of another group of survivors and sends away one of her daughters, Dolores, as a marriage offering. Dolores returns, triggering the breakdown of Matriarch's order and the control she wields over her family. The world of the television saint Aquinas and that of the family begin to melt together, with terrible consequences.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 300 pages
Publication date: 03 March 2022
Publisher: Cinder House

In the aftermath of a enigmatic ecological calamity that has decimated the remainder of humanity, the Matriarch, her brother, and the family descended from their incestuous bond clings to existence on the fringes of a devastated city. The Matriarch, ruling with fear and coercion, harbors aspirations of rekindling humanity. Her offspring, along with the children they bear with one another, are less certain. Enveloped by the silent forest and the desolate suburbs, they feel more connected to the ruined world than to their parents. Nonetheless, they scavenge supplies, gather fuel, plant seeds, and attempt to cultivate the poisoned earth, brutalizing and caring for one another in equal measure. For amusement, they watch old VHS tapes of a television show called Get Aquinas in Here, in which a problem-solving medieval saint confronts a series of logical and ethical dilemmas. However, one day, the Matriarch dreams of another group of survivors, and sends away one of her daughters, the legless Dolores, as a marriage offering. When Dolores returns a few days later, her reappearance triggers the breakdown of Matriarch's fragile order and the control she wields over their sprawling family begins to wane. As the children seize their chance to escape, the world of the television saint Aquinas and that of the family intertwine, resulting in catastrophic consequences. Told in extraordinary, intricate prose that possesses a life of its own, at times striking with the force of physical force, Missouri Williams' debut novel emerges as a blazingly original testament to depravity and salvation. Gothic and peculiar, moving and unsettling, and frequently hilarious, The Doloriad peers down, its eyes narrowed, at humanity's unwavering commitment to life.

Weight: 210g
Dimension: 589 x 200 x 19 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781911585848