Roses and Rot, by Kat Howard

[rachelmanija]

Two sisters, Imogen and Maris, lived with their abusive mother and supported each other as best they could. Imogen, the older sister, fled first, leaving Maris behind. For seven years, they had no contact with each other. Then, as adults, they're both accepted to an elite, year-long artists' retreat, Imogen as a writer and Maris as a dancer. As they rebuild their relationship and try to grow as artists, they slowly notice that the campus has some extremely odd things going on...

Unusually for a Tam Lin story, it's primarily about the relationship between the sisters and secondarily about the relationships between roommates. There are heterosexual romantic relationships as well, but they're more of plot than emotional importance.

This fantasy from 2016 is straight outta 1980s urban fantasy, in the tradition of Pamela Dean's Tam Lin, to which it bears a great deal of resemblance down to also being a Tam Lin retelling. It's "in the tradition," not a rip-off, but if you like Pamela Dean and Emma Bull you will probably like this. It's very beautifully written, has tons of gorgeous details of landscape and fae and food and art, and is generally an excellent example of what it is.

Content notes: flashbacks to abusive mom being physically and emotionally abusive, not particularly graphic or lengthy.

Roses and Rot

Comments

[starlady]

I have to say I found the emotional crux of the plot--oh no she might be away for seven years in Fairyland--completely incapable of sustaining the weight of the whole story. I'm not saying a seven year separation from one's sibling would be easy but it's literally not the end of the world. Particularly since they already had a separation that length!

In general it was painfully clear that the author had no idea whatsoever of what humanities grad school is actually like. I moved her to my Do Not Read list.

[rachelmanija]

They weren't at humanities grad school though - it was a super fancy artist's retreat.

The seven-year separation worked for me because they'd already been separated for so long - it would break up the relationship they'd only just gotten back.

[starlady]

Whoops, I think I'm conflating this book with the lead story in her short story collection, which I also read around the same time. That one does have grad school.

I dunno, my conclusion was "just go reread War for the Oaks." But many people liked it, so clearly I'm in the minority.

[rachelmanija]

Ah, that makes more sense.