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Title details for Rainbow Black by Maggie Thrash - Available

Rainbow Black

A Novel

by Maggie Thrash
Hope Newhouse
Audiobook
1 of 1 copy available
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1 of 1 copy available

"I've loved Maggie Thrash's work for years, and Rainbow Black is going to set so many new hearts aflame—murder, intrigue, queer love, dark humor AND satanic panic? Welcome to the Maggie Thrash Fan Club, world!"—Emma Straub, New York Times bestselling author of This Time Tomorrow

For readers of Donna Tartt and Ottessa Moshfegh comes a brilliant, deliriously entertaining novel from the acclaimed author of Honor Girl. Rainbow Black is part murder mystery, part gay international fugitive love story—set against the '90s Satanic Panic and spanning 20 years in the life of a young woman pulled into its undertow.

Lacey Bond is a 13-year-old girl in New Hampshire growing up in the tranquility of her hippie parents' rural daycare center.

Then the Satanic Panic hits. It's the summer of 1990 when Lacey 's parents are handcuffed, flung into the county jail, and faced with a torrent of jaw-dropping accusations as part of a mass hysteria sweeping the nation. When a horrific murder brings Lacey to the breaking point, she makes a ruthless choice that will haunt her for decades.

As an adult, Lacey mimes a normal life as the law clerk of an illustrious judge. She has a beautiful girlfriend, a measure of security, and the world has mostly forgotten about her. But after a tiny misstep spirals into an uncontrolled legal disaster, the hysteria threatens to begin all over again.

Rainbow Black is an addictive, searing, high-octane triumph, an imaginative tour de force about one woman's tireless desire to be free.

  • Creators

  • Publisher

  • Release date

    March 19, 2024

  • Formats

    • OverDrive Listen audiobook

      • ISBN: 9780063286887
      • File size: 371379 KB
      • Duration: 12:53:42

  • Languages

    • English

  • Reviews

    • Publisher's Weekly

      January 8, 2024
      Thrash, best known for the YA graphic memoir Honor Girl, makes her adult debut with a gripping story about the Satanic panic of the 1980s and its impact on a New Hampshire family. Lacey Bond has always known she’s a lesbian, thanks in part to the freethinking encouraged by her hippie parents, who run a home daycare called Rainbow Kids. In 1990, when Lacey is 13, her parents are arrested and charged with sexual abuse. The complaints from victims’ parents include accusations of Satanism, though the physical evidence amounts to little more than some candles and crystals belonging to Lacey’s mother. During the lengthy trial, Lacey’s older sister, Éclair, is murdered, and their parents are blamed by the media, though no one is charged. As the harrowing, nonlinear story unfolds, the reader learns more about what led to the case against the Bonds and the details behind Éclair’s murder, all while Lacey attempts to find solace with her girlfriend Dylan, who is emotionally and physically abused by her bigoted family. Thrash convinces in her wrenching portrait of a community’s intolerance and the resilience of queer love. Readers will be stirred. Agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House.

    • Library Journal

      May 31, 2024

      In 1990, Lacy Bond is 13, and Satanic Panic has gripped the nation. When Lacy's parents, the owners of Rainbow Kids, a New Hampshire daycare, are accused of heinous acts against the children in their charge, they are arrested and thrown in jail to face a trial that will change the course of their lives. Then tragedy strikes, and Lacy is confronted with a monumental decision. Fourteen years later, Lacy lives in Canada with her girlfriend, Dylan, and works as a law clerk for an illustrious judge. When a tiny misstep brings back the past and ignites an uncontrolled legal drama, Lacy must decide whether to protect herself or those she loves. Narrator Hope Newhouse narrates YA author Thrash's (Lost Soul, Be at Peace) adult debut, offering an affecting portrait of young Lucy as she deals with the fallout from her parents' trial, the death of a loved one, and the threat to her carefully reinvented adult self. Despite the heavy topics, plenty of awkward and laugh-out-loud moments add levity. VERDICT This unputdownable murder mystery/love story will have listeners hooked. Perfect for fans of Janelle Brown and Liane Moriarty.--Elyssa Everling

      Copyright 2024 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

    • AudioFile Magazine
      A coming-of-age story turned brutal murder mystery morphs into a queer love story of legal injustice. Hope Newhouse's gripping narration builds the mystery and listeners' emotions equally, balancing the complex themes with dark humor. Thirteen-year-old Lacey Bond is living in rural New Hampshire during the '90s Satanic Panic, a time of mass hysteria attributable to children being manipulated into revealing false memories. Lacey's eccentric parents face hostility when the town accuses them of obscene abuse at their day care. In the 15 years that ensue, Lacey hides behind a normal life in Canada, believing the world has forgotten her. Newhouse narrates Lacey's stream of consciousness with finely crafted vulnerability, capturing the pain, perseverance, and hope of the main character's memorable life. M.I.C. © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

Formats

  • OverDrive Listen audiobook

subjects

Languages

  • English

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