Ashes to Ashes

Plt;bPgt;Small-town Minnesota teenager Basil P#8220;The BruteP#8221; ThorsonP#8212;a shy, reluctant wrestling star and P#8220;specialP#8221; tracked into special education classesP#8212;vows to make his family whole again in the wake of multiple tragedies, during a year in which his community is roiled by strange religious and mythological events.Plt;brPgt;Plt;brPgt;Another perceptive and empathetic novel from the author of Indie Next and All Iowa Reads selection Plt;iPgt;Little WolvesPlt;/iPgt;, blending myth, history, and religion with a nuanced look at contemporary rural life, perfect for fans of Marilynne Robinson, Richard Russo, and Paul Harding.Plt;/bPgt;Plt;brPgt;Plt;brPgt;When the ashes from an Ash Wednesday service in the prairie town of Andwhen, Minnesota, refuse to wash off, members of a small congregation are left wondering whether theyP#8217;ve been blessed or cursed. For sixteen-year-old BasilP#8212;a shy wrestling star reeling from a farming accident and his motherP#8217;s institutionalizationP#8212;the ashes become a sign. He embarks on a secret ritual of fasting and prayer, seeking meaning in his unraveling world.Plt;brPgt;Plt;brPgt;Meanwhile, Basil and his friends come upon what may be the centuries-old remains of a Viking explorer in a local meadow, a find that brings its own complications, as folk history clashes with the agendas of online racists. As BasilP#8217;s relentless fasting warps his grip on reality, the danger he poses to himself and his family escalates.Plt;brPgt;Plt;brPgt;Blending the fragments of a Norse saga with a finely observed portrait of rural Midwestern life at the start of the pandemic, Thomas Maltman delivers a novel of narrative daring and profound empathyP#8212;his most inventive and compassionate work yet.