Hi all–
Working on developing a novel and I'm looking for comps — good, bad, or indifferent — just so I know some of the successes and pitfalls of what I'm getting into on this project. Broadly speaking, my novel is about an American family torn apart by their proximity to a strange and tragic event in a decaying auto town in Michigan in the late 1980s. There is a modern "witch hunt" element that drives much of the narrative (in the metaphorical sense) and thematically it hinges on questions of class, gender, and sexuality as the nation's industrial base was being gutted. The simple, stupid way of putting is that I'm trying to write a Joyce Carol Oates novel — a little WE WERE THE MULVANEYS, a little YOU MUST REMEMBER THIS, but also drawing a bit from her more horror-leaning works like THE CORN MAIDEN or PURSUIT.
Any other comps, recommendations, ideas besides JCO are welcome. Thank you in advance.
by brendon_b