Thistlefoot

A Novel

By: GennaRose Nethercott

Narrated by: January LaVoy

In the tradition of modern fairy tales like Naomi Novik's Spinning Silver comes an immersive fantasy saga, a debut novel about estranged siblings who are reunited after receiving a mysterious inheritance.

“A wonderfully imaginative, wholly enchanting novel of witness, survival, memory, and family that reads like a fairy tale godfathered by Tim Burton in a wild America alive with wonders and devils alike. Thistlefoot shimmers with magic and mayhem and a thrilling emotional momentum.” —Libba Bray, bestselling author of The Diviners

The Yaga siblings—Bellatine, a young woodworker, and Isaac, a wayfaring street performer and con artist—have been estranged since childhood, separated both by resentment and by wide miles of American highway. But when they learn that they are to receive an inheritance, the siblings agree to meet—only to discover that their bequest isn’t land or money, but something far stranger: a sentient house on chicken legs.

Thistlefoot, as the house is called, has arrived from the Yagas’ ancestral home outside Kyiv—but not alone. A sinister figure known only as the Longshadow Man has tracked it to American shores, bearing with him violent secrets from the past: fiery memories that have hidden in Isaac and Bellatine’s blood for generations. As the Yaga siblings embark with Thistlefoot on a final cross-country tour of their family’s traveling theater show, the Longshadow Man follows in relentless pursuit, seeding destruction in his wake. Ultimately, time, magic, and legacy must collide—erupting in a powerful conflagration to determine who gets to remember the past and craft a new future.

An enchanted adventure illuminated by Jewish myth and adorned with lyrical prose as tantalizing and sweet as briar berries, Thistlefoot is a sweeping epic rich in Eastern European folklore: a powerful and poignant exploration of healing from multi-generational trauma told by a bold new talent.

©2022 GennaRose Nethercott (P)2022 Random House Audio

Critic reviews

BOOK ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: NPR • The Wall Street Journal • Washington Independent Review of Books • BookPage • Book Riot

ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF THE YEAR: Tor • Paste • Business Insider • BuzzFeed • Library Journal • Literary Hub • Debutiful

JEWISH FICTION AWARD HONOREE

“Steeped in the ancient tropes of folk tales and animated by a passionate belief in the vital role of storytelling, GennaRose Nethercott’s first novel builds on her work as a folklorist and poet. . . . Gorgeously written . . . riveting and moving.”—Wendy Smith, The Washington Post

“At times solemn, at times playful, the [narrator] speaks to the reader like a storyteller to a crowd gathered around a campfire. . . . [Thistlefoot] balance[s] fun and solemnity, joy and suffering."—Mallory Yu, NPR

“An excellent dip into the darker side of Eastern European tales. . . . The author adriotly captures the challenges of adult sibling relationships in a story of survival and memory that is pure poetry, but never glosses over the violence of history.”—Liz Braswell, The Wall Street Journal

Ugly Crying

Loved this book, sobbed like a babe, laughed, and absolutely recommend it. I need more books like this in my life.

Beautiful, frightening and inspiring

Just so beautifully done, terrifying at times, and triumphant in its finish. Loved it!

Wonderful performance

Great performance with all the different characters. Even though this is not the type of book I would normally read on my own, it was a great storyline and very descriptive writing.

Fun Fairy-Tale Whimsy

This book is a well done, whimsical romp of an adventure. It is a casual fairy-tale style adventure story that is the perfect escape from your everyday doldrums.

Perfectly crafted storytelling.

I adore this book- my favorite in a very long time. The perfectly poignant ending had me weeping. What a gift this book is.

The best book you can ever stop listening to!

It has been a while since I have read or listened to a book that I could LITERALLY not put down/stop listening to, but this is one of those books. For fans of folklore, this is a retelling of the Baba Yaga character with a Jewish twist- 11/10 stars everyone should read this book!!!

Dark with gorgeous prose and a beautiful performance

This is a really interesting retelling of the Baba Yaga story wrapped around redemption arcs for our two main characters as they discover that some trauma can’t be overcome until it is faced. It’s a dark book about broken people that you don’t necessarily like but that are, for the most part, believable. It felt heavy…something that made it hard to get through at times. There were a few storylines that I didn’t 100% buy, and there were a few threads that were started but never went anywhere. But if you are a fan of Grimm you’ll like this. The prose is gorgeous and the performance was first rate.

unique and captivating

A unique and captivating story. I thoroughly enjoyed this strange tale. The narrator was very good as well.

Great telling of a great story.

I really enjoyed January Lavoy. Beautiful voice, nice voices. The story was an interesting take on Baba Yaga which I enjoyed very much. There were a few bits of writing that were not smooth; mostly with metaphors and descriptions of some people but overall excellent story.

Amazing Book

Great story, I very much enjoyed it. Narrator was very good as well. Love the blend of modern and folklore.