Bitterroot: A Novel Debuts Today, Tuesday, May 21, 2024
Bitterroot Book Cover
Racism in a Small Town Threatens a Forensic Artist and Her Family in New Novel by Suzy Vitello
Set in the fictional town of Steeplejack, nestled in the Bitterroot Mountains, Hazel Mackenzie provides law enforcement with sketch art and victim reconstruction following suspected crimes, through her one-woman business, Bitterroot Renderings. Trouble strikes twice when her husband dies in an accident and then soon after, her gay twin brother Kento is shot by a member of Steeplejack’s growing anti-LBGTQ community during a gender reveal party. The party was coordinated by Corinda, the surrogate hired by Kento and his husband, Tom. It was Corinda’s estranged husband who pulled the trigger and subsequently abducts and brainwashes her into believing the lie that he shot Kento in self-defense as an edited video focuses on the antique Kwaiken knife in Kento’s hand.
As Hazel launches her brother’s defense with help from an attorney friend, she finds the town she grew up in increasingly polarized and dangerous. When she uncovers an ugly secret about her late husband, it leads her to the discovery of letters written by her great-grandfather, a first-generation Japanese-American who was recruited by the US military in World War II. The rest of his family was interned in a prison-like camp. Now, some eighty years later, the same racism and prejudice threatens to strip Kento and his husband of their basic rights to their baby. Hazel must now confront her own intergenerational trauma as she battles for herself, her brother, and a town that has been torn apart by hate.
About the Author: Suzy Vitello writes and lives in Portland, Oregon with her husband and her dog and occasionally one or more of their five kids. She holds an MFA from Antioch, Los Angeles, and has been a recipient of an Oregon Literary Arts grant. Her previous novels include Faultland, The Moment Before and the Young Adult Empress Chronicles series.
About Sibylline Press:
Sibylline Press publishes the brilliant work of women authors over 50, exclusively. It is distributed to the trade by Publishers Group West. Sibylline Press takes its name from the Sibylline Books, the ancient writings of wise older women, the Sibyls. More at www.sibyllinepress.com; and follow us on FB and IG @sibyllinepress.
Bitterroot: A Novel by Suzy Vitello | 5-21-2024 | Tradepaper | 9781960573964
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