Acclaimed poet and essayist Amy Pence has released a new speculative fiction novel that blends science fiction, Southern gothic storytelling and a coming-of-age story set across decades of change in the American South.
The book, “YELLOW,” follows a Louisiana girl named Z who discovers a mysterious slime mold in her backyard during the summer of 1973 — the era of the Watergate hearings and the Skylab space mission. Z forms a deep bond with the organism, known as “Yellow,” before a traumatic event changes the course of her life.
The novel traces Z’s journey from childhood into adulthood, spanning real historical events during the 1970s up through the COVID-19 pandemic. Along the way, the story explores sexual trauma, bisexual identity, spirituality, climate change and the changing culture of the South.
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