The Forest — Lisa Quigley

Everyone in Edgewood believes their annual tithes at the fall festival are what purchase Edgewood's safety, but as Faye and her husband prepare to take over as town stewards-a long tradition carried out by her family for generations-they learn the terrible truth: in order to guarantee the town's safety, the forest demands an unthinkable sacrifice. In the midst of everything, Faye is secretly battling debilitating postpartum anxiety that makes her all the more terrified to leave the safe cocoon of her enchanted town. When everyone turns against her-including her own husband-Faye is forced to flee with her infant son into the forest. She must face whatever lurks there and, perhaps most frightening of all, the dark torments of her own mind. The Forest is an adult folk horror novel appealing to fans of The Lottery by Shirley Jackson and Bird Box by Josh Malerman, with a hint of The Changeling by Victor LaValle. It is Quigley's debut novel.