White Rabbit

“From the first page, Abigail Rose-Marie draws the reader into the fragile world of a child wrestling with unconfronted loss. Part ghost story, part portrait of a family bound by love and silence, White Rabbit unfolds its truths with rare skill—natural in its pacing, inventive in its turns, and deeply humane in its vision. The quirky, flawed, achingly real characters become like kin, making this a novel that lingers long after you have to put it down.”—Jane Harrington, author of Women of the Fairy Tale Resistance

"With vivid and unsettling prose reminiscent of Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, Abigail Rose-Marie's White Rabbit is a potent reckoning with grief from the perspective of an unforgettable child narrator. The anxious, observant voice of eleven-year-old Penelope Willows will linger for readers long after the final page."—John A. McDermott, author of The Last Spirits of Manhattan

“White Rabbit is a poignant, redemptive tale of eleven-year-old Penelope Willows, a neurodiverse girl whose father vanishes to Minnesota, leaving her adrift in a Massachusetts Bay home once inhabited by Sylvia Plath. As Penelope’s mother struggles and time seems to stop, Sylvia’s ghost appears, propelling Penelope on a determined quest to reunite her family and claim her place as the heroine of her own story.”—G.M. Malliet, Agatha Award-winning author

“White Rabbit is a triumph of character. In her neurodivergent narrator, Penelope, Rose-Marie has crafted a singular, standout voice that will stay with readers long after the story is told. The world of White Rabbit is assembled with pitch-perfect prose that follows Penelope's every thought as she navigates the losses and longings of her isolated life. Rose-Marie paints a picture that is hyper-real at its heart but dreamlike along the edges. The novel is a pleasure to read, and perfect for fans of Karen Russell or Laura van den Berg.”—James Wade, Spur Award-winning author

“White Rabbit is a luminous, heart-wrenching, and wickedly funny novel about a precocious young girl whose best friend happens to be the ghost of Sylvia Plath. When her father vanishes and her mother retreats into the shadows of her red-lit darkroom—her skin slowly turning blue—she must navigate grief, love, and the desperate stories we weave to survive. At once haunting and tender, it is a tour de force of dazzling originality and voice.”