Niccolo Would Like a Word
About
A twisty psychological thriller about a woman who’s losing her grip, a troubled friend trying to help, a cat with an agenda, and a sexual predator who may finally get his comeuppance.
Shannon, a middle-aged artist with a chaotic past, feels blunted by years of psychiatric medications. So she switches to magic mushrooms instead. Suddenly her cat Niccolo is talking to her, urging her to do what she’s always dreamed of: to get even with the smug, predatory author responsible for her sister’s death thirty years ago.
Allison, Shannon’s best friend back in high school, was a shy, closeted outcast, grateful for Shannon’s empathy and protection. Now grown dispirited after a series of losses, she comes to life again when Shannon arrives in Provincetown. But Allison has no idea what Shannon is planning, or what crises both women will face as Shannon’s grip on reality grows more tenuous and Niccolo coaxes her ever closer to committing murder.
It’s a darkly comic novel, full of secrets and surprising twists. Yet it’s also about the healing power of love, friendship, and community. With an eccentric cast of characters and the vibrant, artsy, queer energy of Provincetown, there is plenty of warmth, humor, and celebration. Imagine Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine meets Nightbitch meets Bad Sisters.
Praise for this book
"The prose is a pleasure throughout. The humour is wry and understated, never showing off, and the character work is quietly formidable-Shannon in particular is one of the more original protagonists in recent literary fiction. Warm, unreliable, funny, and heartbreaking in equal measure."
"Using the most subtle of character and plot building in her writing, Graham paints a story that may seem straightforward at the outset - but about 2/3 of the way through the book turns sideways."
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"I was hooked, fully engaged, and turning the pages as quickly as I could to uncover what would happen next... The ending features more twists than the mountain roads of the Appalachians. It's hard to surprise readers these days, but Graham has done an incredible job."