
The Resurrectionist
A Novel
23 September 2014
Territory Rights — Worldwide.
Description
A young doctor wrestles with the legacy of a slave “resurrectionist” owned by his South Carolina medical school.
At South Carolina Medical College, Dr Jacob Thacker is on probation for Xanax abuse. His interim career—working in the university’s public relations department—takes an unnerving detour into the past when the bones of African American slaves are unearthed on campus.
In the nineteenth century, Nemo ("no man"), a slave purchased for his unusual knife skills, becomes an unacknowledged member of the surgical faculty by day—and by night, a "resurrectionist", responsible for procuring bodies for medical study.
With exceptional storytelling, pacing and skill, Matthew Guinn relates a gothic tale of shocking crimes and exquisite revenge, a riveting and satisfying moral parable of the American South.
Reviews
"A fine gothic novel. Be warned: Corpses abound." — The Washington Post
"Truly extraordinary... a novel that is not only riveting and beautifully written, but one that dares to step into the long shadow of class and race...Stunning." — Andre Dubus III