by Rebecca Mahoney
Critics' Opinion:
Readers' rating:
Published Feb 2021
368 pages
Genre: Literary Fiction
Publication Information
Debut author Rebecca Mahoney delivers an immersive and captivating novel about magical places, found family, the power of grief and memory, and the journey toward reconciling who you think you've become with the person you've been all along.
Rose Colter is almost home, but she can't go back there yet.
When her car breaks down in the Nevada desert, the silence of the night is broken by a radio broadcast of a voicemail message from her best friend, Gaby. A message Rose has listened to countless times over the past year. The last one Gaby left before she died.
So Rose follows the lights from the closest radio tower to Lotus Valley, a small town where prophets are a dime a dozen, secrets lurk in every shadow, and the diner pie is legendary. And according to Cassie Cyrene, the town's third most accurate prophet, they've been waiting for her. Because Rose's arrival is part of a looming prophecy, one that says a flood will destroy Lotus Valley in just three days' time.
Rose believes if the prophecy comes true then it will confirm her worst fear--the PTSD she was diagnosed with after Gaby's death has changed her in ways she can't face. So with help from new friends, Rose sets out to stop the flood, but her connection to it, and to this strange little town, runs deeper than she could've imagined.
"This is a story strongly crafted in the vein of surreal fiction about memories and grief...debut author Mahoney strikes a flowing balance, weaving together suspense, connection, uncanniness, healing, devastation, and hope...Superb storytelling." - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
"Mahoney has crafted a wholly unique world, replete with mysterious, otherworldly "neighbors" and a foreboding prophecy that Rose's arrival in town will bring about an apocalyptic flood...[a] poignant exploration of emotion and trauma." - Booklist (starred review)
"Mahoney meshes flashbacks and the present intricately and effectively, resulting in two equally dramatic narratives...Part allegory, part psychological thriller, this suspenseful debut is a moving study of grief, regret, and PTSD." - Publishers Weekly
"The story requires some intuitive thinking, and Rose often seems like an unreliable narrator, so it's better for older readers. Part mystery, part thriller, part horror-lite, this genre-bending story will be popular with many teens." - School Library Journal
"Refreshingly, wholly original, The Valley and the Flood will haunt you long after you turn the final page. A beautiful triumph of a debut." - Sarah Glenn Marsh, author of the Reign of the Fallen series
"Rebecca Mahoney weaves a tense and beautiful tale about the monsters we make and the memories that haunt us. With the looming threat of the Flood and a town full of secrets, this story grabbed hold of me and didn't let go." - Kate Alice Marshall, author of I Am Still Alive and Rules for Vanishing
This information about The Valley and the Flood was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Rebecca Mahoney is a young adult and middle grade writer, and the co-creator of audio drama serial The Bridge Podcast. She's a strong believer in the cathartic power of all things fantastical and creepy in children's literature–and she knows firsthand that ghosts, monsters, and the unknown can give you the language you need to understand yourself. She was raised in Windham, New Hampshire, currently resides in Somerville, Massachusetts, and spends her spare time watching horror movies, collecting cloche hats, and cursing sailors at sea.
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