An eerie, unforgettable story of power, loss,
and family curses in early 20th-century
Princeton.
Princeton, New Jersey at the turn of
the 20th century: soon-to-be commander-in-chief Woodrow
Wilson is president of Princeton University. On a
neighbouring farm, muck-raking novelist Upton Sinclair,
enjoying the success of The Jungle, has taken up
residence with his family. Grover Cleveland, fresh out
of his second term in the White House has retired to
town for a quieter life. Meanwhile, the elite families
of Princeton have been beset by a powerful curse – their
daughters are disappearing. A young bride on the verge
of the altar is seduced and abducted by a dangerously
compelling man – a shape-shifting, vaguely European
prince who might just be the devil. In the Pine Barrens
on the edge of town, a mysterious and persuasive evil
takes shape.
When the bride's brother sets out
against all odds to find her, his path will cross those
of Princeton's most formidable people, from presidents
past to its brightest literary luminaries, from Mark
Twain to Jack London, as he navigates both the idyllic
town and the Dante-esque landscape of the
Barrens.
An utterly fresh work from Oates, THE
ACCURSED marks new territory for the masterful writer –
narrated with her unmistakable psychological insight, it
combines beautifully transporting historical detail with
chilling fantastical elements to stunning
effect.
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