At the Edge of the Woods is an American Booksellers Association "Summer/Fall 2023 Indies Introduce Featured Title"! We are grateful to all of the amazing indie booksellers involved: click below to read the nominating booksellers' thoughts on At the Edge of the Woods:
>>> Read an interview: "An Indies Introduce Q&A with Kathryn Bromwich"
>>> View the Indies Introduce page for At the Edge of the Woods
>>> View the full list of Summer/Fall 2023 Indies Introduce Featured Titles

"A real page turner." --Listen to hosts Lori Feathers & Sam Jordison, Across the Pond podcast, during an INTERVIEW & AUTHOR READING!
Kathryn Bromwich, "At the Edge of the Woods" (Jun 27, 2023)

"I will be adding At The Edge of the Woods to my pile of beguiling peasant novels that have nature as an active presence (between Tokarczuk's Drive Your Plough Over the Bones of the Dead and Solà's When I Sing the Mountains Dance)... It is a fascinating thought experiment on how superstition can bring about its own demons--and how rejections of femininity can ignite a hysteria. We are invited to decide how much to read accident as curse and how much curse disguised as coincidence, as stranger things start to happen in proximity to Laura."
--Abi Andrews, Caught by the River
(Read the full review of At the Edge of the Woods)

"A fever dream of a novel with a hothouse atmosphere that's cranked high, At The Edge of the Woods stands out for authorial bravado. The slim volume might bring to mind stylish literary classics, from Wide Sargasso Sea and Heart of Darkness to Wuthering Heights and Rebecca, but first time U.K. novelist Kathryn Bromwich serves a delectable if bizarre wilderness tale that's wholly her creation."
--Brett Josef Grubisic, Toronto Star
(Read the full review of At the Edge of the Woods)

"An accomplished, unsettling debut... At the Edge of the Woods is a novel that invites full immersion on the reader's part; the reward is a deeply unsettling exploration of what it means to inhabit a female body but to reject femininity, and to feel a connection with the natural world that embodies both awe and terror. In this, its themes could not be more timely."
--Stephanie Merritt, The Guardian
"Book of the day, Fiction"

"Bromwich writes stylishly propulsive prose, creating irresistible momentum in a novel whose plot is tangled and exploratory. By its end, At the Edge of the Woods is a portrait of both a profoundly liberated woman and a woman in danger. It is a knife-sharp, haunting novel, a testament in both its content and its origins to what both imagination and meditation can do."
--Lily Meyer, AIR MAIL
INTERVIEW: "How a bout of long COVID during the height of the pandemic gave way to a London editor's debut novel" (June 3, 2023)

"[Kathryn Bromwich] has spun magic with her debut novel At the Edge of the Woods, a compelling story of a woman who opts to abscond traditional life and move into a cabin in the forests of northern Italy. As leering locals question why she's there without a man to look after her... she falls into a carnal, stunning relationship with a local waiter, he too alienated by the town. Impactful and transportive stuff."
--Douglas Greenwood, i-D
(Read the full review of At the Edge of the Woods)

"With a deft hand and slow-burn tension, At the Edge of the Woods is a captivating novel for anyone who enjoyed Unsettled Ground by Claire Fuller or Strega by Johanne Lykke Holm."
--Damian Barr's Literary Salon
Podcast Episode: "Book of the Week: At the Edge of the Woods by Kathryn Bromwich"

"Bromwich brings a dash of menace and blurs the line between what is real and unreal, what is imagined and what is there. She immerses the reader in the woods, the idea of escaping and develops it in an unexpected direction. At the Edge of the Woods is a trip; surreal and compelling, subverting the expectation of narrative, of character and of escaping to the woods. Browich's writing is inspired, with the polished tension of Shirley Jackson, and the prose of Ali Smith or Tove Jansson. She is capable of dazzling beauty amongst a claustrophobic atmosphere."
--Kelsey Ward, Oban Times
(Read the full review of At the Edge of the Woods)

"[At the Edge of the Woods] is one of those books that's going to be in the outer reaches of my brain for a while... I keep thinking back to it..."
--Daniel Ford, Writer's Bone Podcast
INTERVIEW: "Episode 607: Kathryn Bromwich & Hannah Mary McKinnon" (August 31, 2023)

"In this mesmerizing novel, a woman moves to a cabin in the woods, on a mountain at the edge of a town filled with people who regard her with increasing suspicion... Much of the book is concerned with Laura's immediate experiences of the landscape, which creates a lulling effect, but as in the wilderness, one cannot let themselves become unwary; the beautiful descriptions are soon punctuated by a sharp sense of menace as Laura's reality begins to deteriorate. This is an unsettling fever dream of a book that I will be thinking about for a long time."
--Emily Temple, LitHub
"The 28 Novels You Need to Read This Summer"

"At The Edge of the Woods is an exceptional debut; uncanny, unsettling, original and subtle. Gradually, it beckons the reader deeper into both its forests and its mysteries; I was reminded at times of the work of Dolores Redondo's Baztan trilogy, and at others of Robert Seethaler's slender chronicles of remote European mountain communities."
--Robert Macfarlane, author of Mountains of the Mind, The Wild Places, The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot, Landmarks, and Underland: A Deep Time Journey

"What I drew most from this novel is a rich exploration of the many alternating ways we attempt to grit our teeth and bear it, to escape, to simultaneously find and hide from ourselves. Bromwich's writing is quietly powerful and I believe it will resonate with any woman who has ever felt trapped, adrift, or desperate for a fresh start. So, perhaps, all of us."
--Beth Mowbray
(View the full review on Instagram)

"At the Edge of the Woods by Kathryn Bromwich is a spellbinding dream for introverts."
--TeaTime Pictures, "Virgo Szn" Reading List, Instagram

"In this richly evocative debut, a woman has retreated from society to live alone in a cabin in the mountains of northern Italy... A spellbinding story of illness, infertility, the natural world and femininity."
--Gwendolyn Smith, The i
"31 best books to read this summer"

"Extraordinary. What a beautiful, raw and ethereal journey. So much magic and power."
--Maxine Peake

"This novel is an intriguing look at the forces--natural, social, and psychological--that create the figure of the witch. It's also an allegory that will resonate with any reader who's ever found themselves in Laura's double bind, forced to choose between safety and authenticity. In this beautiful, brutal little novel, those readers might find a path forward, even though it's a dangerous one to tread."
--Julia Glassman, The Mary Sue
(Read the full review of At the Edge of the Woods)

"Through lust and sinuous prose, the novel similarly puts readers under its own spell. It demands that you reach out to others, no matter how isolated they are, and insist that they read what is sure to be an instant classic."
--Rufus Hickok, Bust Magazine
"LitPicks: 3 Unforgettable Literary Treasures Released This Month That Will Enrich Your Summer Reading"

"Bromwich's prose is sedately paced, erudite, and textured in its observations of nature. Laura has a sly sense of humor and a deep distrust of humankind. As her story advances, her relationship to reality shifts and slides... At the Edge of the Woods is wise, ethereal, haunting, filled with both beauty and horror. Brief but thoughtful, lush in its descriptions, this is a novel of introspection."
--Julia Kastner, Shelf Awareness
(Read the review of At the Edge of the Woods)

"Bromwich paints Laura and her woods as vibrantly as an old-fashioned fairy tale and this is just as foreboding. Fans of highly interiorized, richly narrated feminist fiction will tear through it."
--Annie Bostrom, Booklist

"Suspense and the mystery of Laura's persona made At the Edge of the Woods resemble a Gothic Romance intermixed with a loving transcendentalism that would make Ralph Waldo Emerson proud.... This is a novel about the aftermath of trauma, and the mystical places that become available to us when we turn away from society. Laura creates a safe space for herself out of necessity, and many readers will understand this instinct all too well."
--Max Gray, The Chicago Review of Books
(Read the review of At the Edge of the Woods)

"Following a woman living alone in a cabin in the woods, At the Edge of the Woods is built on slow-burn tension and psychological unraveling à la Shirley Jackson meets Strega Nonna in the Italian Alps, and is meant to be slurped and gargled like saltwater."
--Sophia June, NYLON
"June 2023's Must-Read Book Releases"

"Haunting, gorgeously descriptive, and spellbinding, Kathryn Bromwich has written an incredible gothic debut."
--Michael Welch, Chicago Review of Books
"12 Must-Read Books of June 2023"

"In this haunting debut, a woman running from her past tries to find solitude and independence in the woods. Bromwich's pacing works brilliantly; languid and slow as we meet Laura a few months into her time in the cabin, comfortable and familiar, before becoming increasingly disjointed and rapid to match her deteriorating mental state. The result is a slow-burning tension that never quite resolves into something like closure but is nonetheless riveting and original. A gripping, richly layered story of a woman's unraveling as she grapples with threats both past and present."
--Kirkus
(Read the review of At the Edge of the Woods)

"Bromwich brilliantly depicts Laura's experience as only that which a woman can have... This is a book to be remembered."
--Jaylynn Korrell, Independent Book Review, starred
(Read the review of At the Edge of the Woods)

"This book is an absolute stunner. Set in the Italian Alps, we find a woman living alone in a cabin in the woods. Bromwich follows her life with beautiful writing that pairs well with the stark and unsettling plot that unfolds."
--Adam Vitcavage, Debutiful
"Can't Miss Debut Books You Should Read In June"

Read an excerpt: Debutiful presents an excerpt from At the Edge of the Woods by Kathryn Bromwich.

"A slow burn... portrait of a woman's communion with an untamed wilderness."
--Publishers Weekly
(Read the review of At the Edge of the Woods)

"Bromwich is a terrific writer, and her ability to conjure both overt and covert menace is impressive. Likewise, Laura is fully realized and her lived feminism makes her the epitome of graceful resistance. To Bromwich's credit, Laura never devolves into a superwoman but is instead a strong, flawed human being... At the Edge of the Woods is simultaneously meditative and unsettling."
--Eleanor J. Bader, The Indypendent
(Read the review of At the Edge of the Woods)

"Throughout Kathryn Bromwich's debut novel, At the Edge of the Woods, strangeness proliferates... Bromwich quickly entrances readers within her prose that wanders through a woman's solitude. She hikes everyday, running from something. It is in those trees that Bromwich situates herself as a novelist keen on exploring perceptions, sustenance, and escape into the natural world... With each new iteration of the self, the narrator throws off another layer of pretense. A novel with surprisingly linear growth, Bromwich disrupts expectations with an unhinged ending--a final stab at the festering wound of womanhood, and the woman the narrator once was."
--Corinna Akari Singer, Columbia Journal of Literary Criticism
(Read the review of At the Edge of the Woods)

"This week, host Jason Jefferies is joined by Kathryn Bromwich, who discusses her new novel At the Edge of the Woods... Topics of conversation include Richard Powers' The Overstory, wilderness narratives that captivate our imaginations, a female protagonist living off the grid, how one's mind works first thing in the morning, a mountain as a sentient being, practicing one's smile in the mirror, guilt over not attending church, and much more."
Listen to an interview with the author, presented by Explore Booksellers: Bookin' Podcast: "234--Bookin' w/ Kathryn Bromwich"

"This might be the best novel I read at the beach this year. It certainly moved me in a way that I wasn't expecting... It's a novel about the aftermath of trauma; a woman turning to the natural world for solace and healing. It reminds me of other novels where nature plays one of the main characters and human beings become just one more piece of the untamed world, not the determiner of it. That said, humans with their prejudices, superstitions, and intolerance can interfere and undermine that consoling presence and carry violence and disruption into a carefully crafted safe space. Lyrical writing takes a quiet but determined look at issues of wildness, feminity, class, fertility, patriarchy, and illness."
--Gayle Shanks, Changing Hands Bookstore (Tempe, AZ)

"Kathryn Bromwich is a debut author I'm truly excited to read more from."
--Alex Faccibene, Geek Girl Authority
"New Release Radar: New Books Coming Out on June 6"

"A taut, suspenseful novel of a life in isolation, laced with a bit of folk horror? We're in. Kathryn Bromwich's novel tells the story of a woman living in seclusion near the Alps whose life is disrupted by a visitor from her past."
--Vol. 1 Brooklyn
"Books of the Month: June 2023 Edition"

"My other pick for today is [At the Edge of the Woods by Kathryn Bromwich]... it's coming from another of my favorite indie presses... This sounds amazing."
--Liberty Hardy, All the Books! Podcast / Book Riot
"New Releases and More for June 6, 2023"

"Never have I ever come across a book that's truly as satisfying to read as this little book about a woman living in obscurity set on the outskirts of the Italian Alps. It's intriguing, mysterious, and contemplative. Not to mention that Bromwich's prose is unbelievably visceral. You will be hard pressed to find a book that satisfies like this."
--Thu Doan, East Bay Booksellers, Oakland, CA

"Laura secrets away in a spare remote cabin in an attempt to create a life of her own choosing and free herself of societal expectations. She finds comfort in nature, spending hours each day hiking farther and farther through field and forest. An exploration of how a woman disappears--figuratively and literally--after escaping an abusive, untenable situation."
--Alana Haley, Schuler's Books, Grand Rapids, MI

"A raw, intimate, richly textured and lyrical account of a self-imposed isolation in the Italian Alps. Part-almost fairy tale, part-humane examination of the body, memory, loneliness, relationships and nature--this gorgeous book offers a hypnotically meditative insight into one woman's compelling psyche."
--Lara Williams, author of The Odyssey and Supper Club

"A delicious, dark unravelling. Kathryn Bromwich's prose brings us an unnerving and tenacious voice, a remarkable protagonist. In this brilliant novel, the wild is never far away but we have more to fear from so-called civilisation. An unnerving and exhilarating book that gave me goosebumps. It made me want to take off into the forest!"
--Helen Mort, author of A Line Above the Sky

"Elegant, mysterious, unsettling--Bromwich's storytelling is as assured as it is unpredictable. A stunning achievement."
--Rhik Samadder, author of I Never Said I Loved You

"Heady and headlong, Bromwich's deliciously witchy debut unspools with the force and confidence of a spell, conjuring an indelible portrayal of one woman's quest for selfhood through solitude."
--Hermione Hoby, author of Virtue and Neon in Daylight

"I savored this wonderfully intense and enigmatic novel about a woman's retreat into the wilderness. At the Edge of the Woods touches on issues of alienation, illness, womanhood, nature and community, in sensuous prose that delights and disturbs. An offbeat, beguiling debut."
--Luiza Sauma, author of Flesh and Bone and Water

"A rich and bewitching novel. Kathryn Bromwich has spun up a delicate world that interrogates the dark side of love, the wild power of nature, and the strength it takes to break free."
--Sarah Rose Etter, author of The Book of X and Ripe

"A profound and disquieting portrait of isolation and existence at the borderlands: between cultures, past and present, civilization and wilderness. Through a delicate twining of deliberate, precise storytelling and rich, lyrical detail, Kathryn Bromwich has crafted a captivating and beguiling fable in reverse -- a story that feels like it's existed forever, just waiting for her to write it down."
--Simon Jacobs, author of Palaces and String Follow

"Mysterious, assured, and deeply, quietly passionate, At the Edge of the Woods is a magnetic debut in love with nature and language in equal measure, eschewing traditional plot and narrative devices in favor of the fabulous on every level... Bromwich infects the senses with dread and wicked insight from the first page to the last--this is a stunning experience not to be missed."
--Maryse Meijer, author of The Seventh Mansion

"At the Edge of the Woods is a rare novel: beautifully attuned to both the mysteries of the natural world and of human consciousness, at once cool and intense, suspenseful and surprising. Just when you think you know where Laura's story is headed the forest path twists, uncovering a world resplendent with ghosts, secrets, and dangerously deep wells of feeling. Kathryn Bromwich is a thrilling new talent."
--Laura van den Berg, author of I Hold a Wolf by the Ears and The Third Hotel

"At the Edge of the Woods is a beautiful reflection on the healing powers of nature, as well as an examination of the tensions found at the border between 'society' and 'wilderness'; a question of if we can be part of both and the societal expectations we will inevitably fall short of if we choose to live outside human boundaries. Laura is the ultimate wild woman and one can only hope to have her courage and strength to defy those boundaries that diminish us."
--Natalie Both, Changing Hands (Phoenix, Arizona)